Holiday horror as boy, four, crushed by iron gate
‘It is your worst nightmare’
A BOY of four died after being crushed by an iron gate during a family holiday to Italy.
Angelo Quirino had been visiting relatives when the 450lb gate toppled on to him.
The boy, from Manchester, was only three days into a trip to the coastal region of Anzio around 40 miles south of Rome.
It is understood he had been playing football with his older brother when the sliding iron gate fell on him.
His uncle heard his screams, but when he arrived on the scene, Angelo was unconscious.
An air ambulance was called and medics tried for more than 45 minutes to revive the little boy.
But he had suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
After hearing about the tragedy on Saturday, his father Amedeo, who was not on the holiday, flew out on the next available flight.
Police have cordoned off the villa and an investigation has been launched to find out how the sliding gate toppled over.
Imma Totaro, 44, who knows the family from a Facebook group for Italian mothers based in Manchester, said: ‘I cannot believe it. He was such a beautiful little boy.
‘He had such a sweet voice and a sweet face. Everyone who met him absolutely loved him.
‘And he was his mum’s absolute treasure. She never took her eyes off him. I just cannot imagine what she is going through.
‘It is your worst nightmare. To go on holiday and come back without your child.’ Angelo’s uncle, Giuseppe Quirino, paid tribute to his nephew with a poem he posted on Facebook. He wrote: ‘Wonder... a hug, and a kiss to Angelo, who here does not smile: now you are, a beautiful little angel.’
The four-year-old, who was set to start school in Manchester next month, moved to Britain from Anzio in 2015. He had been staying in a rented holiday home in the Marechiaro district with his mother Roberta, eight-year- old brother and younger sister, Italian media reported.
It was the first time the rental property had been hired out.
The area is famous as the site of the amphibious landing by US and Allied troops in 1944. After months of fighting it enabled Rome to be captured from German forces. Today the coast is a popular spot for sunseekers and tourists keen to learn about the area’s wartime history.
Luciano Bruschini, mayor of Anzio, expressed his condolences to the grieving family in a statea ment. He said: ‘Little Angelo was in Anzio, together with his family, to spend some peaceful days on a holiday, days which, unfortunately, turned into a tragedy that has shattered our community.
‘The city of Anzio is with the Quirino family, who, having come great distance, are experiencing the greatest pain that life can have in store for us.’
The boy’s friends and family have now launched a fundraising bid on the charity website Just-Giving. They said: ‘Little Angelo was a four-year- old boy playing with his brother in the garden and was crushed by the gate that came out of the property’s track where they were on vacation in Italy.
‘The tragedy has upset us all. We decided to raise funds to help our friend and mum Roberta and dad Amedeo to deal with the expenses a little bit.
‘Such a tragedy should never happen to anyone.’