Two fatal road accidents strike Giarre area of Sicily within 24 hours

In the early hours of one night, 27‑year‑old motorcyclist Sebastiano Portogallo, a mechanic from Mascali, lost control of a borrowed Benelli TRK 500 on the Macchia bridge in Giarre. The bike collided with an parked vehicle and a guard‑rail before the rider was thrown over the barrier and fell about four metres into the torrent below, dying instantly. Emergency services, including the 118 ambulance, fire brigade and Carabinieri, could not revive him.

Approximately 24 hours later, a separate crash occurred near Calatabiano on State Road 114. A Fiat Grande Punto carrying three youths swerved and struck a concrete wall, splitting the car in two. The 17‑year‑old passenger from Mascali was killed on impact, while the other two occupants were taken to hospitals in Taormina and Acireale with injuries. Firefighters, ambulance crews and Carabinieri investigators attended the scene and are conducting inquiries into both incidents. The back‑to‑back tragedies have deeply shocked the Giarre community.