The mayor of the local town suggested that they could have saved themselves had they waded back to the riverbank immediately rather than staying put and trying to withstand the floodwaters.
“They had the chance to escape and save themselves,” said Michele De Sabata, the mayor of Premariacco.
Mr De Sabata said he knew the river well – as a child, he would play there but whenever the normally clear water started to turn muddy, locals would immediately get out of the water, knowing that floodwater from the mountains was on its way.
“The water had surrounded them, but it was still low. Maybe they decided not to move so as not to get their clothes and shoes wet. Unfortunately, the river was then flowing at tremendous speed. There was a fire service rescuer just seven metres away from them, but he was unable to do anything,” Mr De Sabata told Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Rescuers saw the three young people swept away in front of their eyes. A rescue helicopter was on its way but arrived a minute too late.
“Sadly, the helicopter arrived a minute after the kids disappeared,” the mayor said.
Video from the scene showed the trio hugging each other as flood waters swirled around them.
“We threw them a rope, but they were literally swallowed up by the flood waters in front of our eyes. We watched them disappear,” said Giorgio Basile, a fire service chief in the nearby city of Udine.