Four young jockeys were flung to their deaths when their car veered off a road and flipped multiple times.
The horror unfolded on Wednesday (30 Oct) on Provincial Road 69 on the outskirts of Fonni, Italy.
The victims have been named as Michele Coinu, Marco Innocenti, Michele Soddu and Lorenzo Figus.
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It’s believed Coinu, 20, may have been driving the Fiat Punto owned by Innocenti, 18.
He apparently lost control of the hatchback near a bend and veered off the road.
The car overturned multiple times and landed in a ditch.
It is believed the four friends were thrown from the shredded wreckage at the moment of impact.
Coinu, Innocenti, Soddu, 20, and Figus, 17, hadn’t been heard from since Wednesday afternoon.
Their respective families raised the alarm when they failed to return home for lunch.
The four worked together at a salami factory and it is believed the accident happened after the end of their shift at 2pm.
Friends, relatives, police and firefighters began searching for the missing pals.
Their bodies and the crushed vehicle were discovered close to midnight.
The victims were jockeys and had shared a passion for horses.
They regularly took part in the traditional “pariglia” of Fonni.
The well-known Sardinian event sees riders perform spectacular acrobatics.
The victims were all local to Fonni.
The family members of one of the deceased were given the devastating news while they were on a cruise.
They are now trying to return home.
The cause of the accident is under investigation, as reported by Need To Know.
Detectives believe the driver may have been breaking the speed limit on a stretch of road without crash barriers.
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