Many knew him and no one wanted to believe it. But when they saw his unmistakable green van in those conditions, with which he affectionately greeted everyone with two honks of the horn as he traveled up and down the streets of the Ionian area, they feared the worst. And shortly after, the tragic news arrived. Carmelo Iannino, known as “The Prince”, was a tireless worker.who met death yesterday morning while travelling on the A18 Messina-Catania to return to his home town of Furci Siculo, where he lived and worked.
It was a few minutes to ten and the 62-year-old was driving the Fiat Qubo with which he was making deliveries on behalf of a bakery and was proceeding on the motorway towards Messina, when, having reached km 29,800, inside the Sant’Alessio tunnel, in the territory of Forza d’Agrò, the tragic crash occurred: a truck was stopped in the lane due to an engine failure and the vehicles that were coming hit him full on, triggering a chain reaction, in which at least three cars were involved. Among these was Iannino’s, whose conditions immediately appeared very serious to the rescuers, who extracted him from the wreckage and took him in red code to the Policlinico of Messina, where however he died shortly after his arrival. Another driver was also injured in the impact, transferred to the hospital of Taormina but not in serious conditions. The patrols of the Giardini Naxos traffic police, two ambulances of 118 of Taormina and Letojanni and the firefighters of the Letojanni detachment intervened at the site of the accident and due to the roadway obstructed by the accident vehicles, a long queue of cars and trucks formed all the way to Taormina; subsequently, the overtaking lane was reopened and traffic slowly started flowing again, until returning to normal at 1 pm.
The death of Carmelo Iannino was learned with dismay by the entire Ionian area, where he was well known and remembered for his kindness and smile always on his lips: passionate about sports and cars, he raced around in the early 90s aboard a flaming Lancia Delta and for several decades he was responsible for providing staff to restaurants and hotels in the Taormina area, where he himself worked, helping many young people to undertake their first work experiences in their land, which he loved so much and from which he did not want to separate. «A halo of profound sadness has fallen over the community of Furci Siculo – commented the mayor Matteo Francilia, who yesterday reached the family in hospital –. We lose a dear friend, a fellow citizen who was well-liked and respected by all, a great worker, a person with a jovial character. We join in the deep sorrow of his dear wife Giovanna, his brothers Giuseppe and Mario and all his family members. Furci Siculo is in mourning”. An investigation has been opened into the accident by the Messina Prosecutor’s Office, which will lead to the seizure of the vehicles involved in the accident, and an autopsy could be ordered on the body of Carmelo Iannino, before the body is returned to the family for the final journey of the “Prince”.
