A journey to discover the wonders of the world for two Italian families came to an abrupt halt when the small Aerodiana tourist plane they were traveling on crashed on its way back from a flight over the Nazca Lines in Peru. For the group of seven friends who had set out together from Brianza to share their lifelong passion for travel, it took only a moment to leave them no chance. The disaster left thirteen dead with no survivors. In addition to the two families, two German tourists, two Spaniards, and the two Peruvian pilots also lost their lives.
The bodies of the Gianturco family from Monza and the Angelucci family from Seregno were recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft. Paolo Gianturco, 59, originally from Basilicata, was a senior partner at Deloitte Consulting and a Financial Services Industry Leader, a leading consultant in the fields of technological innovation and banking, and a university professor at Bocconi University. His wife, Cristina Maria Bianco, 57, was managing director at Andersen Consulting and a respected human resources professional. Their two young sons died with them: Matteo, 24, a student in Economics at the University of Bergamo with a passion for travel, and Pietro, just 18, who had recently completed high school at Collegio Villoresi San Giuseppe and was ready to go to college.
With them were their usual traveling companions: Massimo Angelucci, 58, owner of Ima Tecno in Lissone, a mechanical components company; his wife, Elena Sala, 58, who has always been at his side in managing the business; and their son Lorenzo, 24, who had recently celebrated his graduation from the Polytechnic University of Milan. Their trip was going well; their family members back in Italy had received news from them only a few hours earlier. The trip to one of the most famous and visited sites in Peru was part of the pre-arranged itinerary; the skies were cloudless and the pilots were expert.
Peruvian authorities will determine what happened aboard that small plane, a Cessna 208B Gran Caravan, which, after suddenly spinning, plummeted to the ground in a near-vertical fall and burst into flames. They have immediately opened an investigation into an accident with possible causes ranging from wind to a sudden failure. "I express my deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the families of the seven Italian victims for their tragic deaths in Peru, on behalf of myself and the entire government," said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, echoed by Lombardy Regional President Attilio Fontana: "We are deeply shocked and assure the relatives of the regional institutions' full support and sympathy in this moment of unspeakable suffering."
Messages of condolence also arrived from the municipalities of Brianza where the families lived and worked. From Monza, Paolo Pilotto recalled the "light and desire for the future" of the young people involved, the mayor of Seregno, Alberto Rossi, expressed his shock at the loss of a beloved family, and the mayor of Lissone, Laura Borella, paid tribute to the human and professional values of Massimo Angelucci and the shattered future of Lorenzo. The bodies of the thirteen victims are currently at the disposal of the Peruvian judicial authorities for procedural assessments and subsequent repatriation operations, on which the Italian diplomatic network is working in constant contact with the relatives.
(Unioneonline)