Three teenage athletes were killed and six others injured when a five-seat Audi A2 carrying nine occupants crashed into a canal in Senago, near Milan, Italy, early on June 22, 2026. The victims were returning from an 18th birthday party at a club in Lainate.
Victims Identified
The deceased are Lorenzo Benin, 17; Riccardo Provasi, 17; and Camilla Copparoni, who had just turned 18. All three lived in Paderno Dugnano. Camilla played volleyball for Jolly Palazzolo Milanese, while Lorenzo and Riccardo played football for the amateur club Cob 91 in Cormano and studied Finance and Marketing together.
The driver, Gabriele Popovici, 19, from Cormano, tested positive for alcohol with a blood alcohol level of 1.61 g/l, far above Italy's zero-tolerance limit for new drivers. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated multiple vehicular manslaughter and is under police guard in a Milan hospital, in shock.
Crash Details
At around 5:30 a.m., the Audi A2, carrying nine people aged 17 to 19, lost control on a dark road near a bend. The car hit a tree, flipped over, and ended up submerged in a canal. Camilla was pulled alive but died before reaching hospital. Fire service divers recovered the bodies of Lorenzo and Riccardo, who were trapped inside.
The six survivors, from Paderno Dugnano and Cusano Milanino, suffered fractures and bruises. Most are long-time friends linked through the amateur football club Cusano Calcio. They will be questioned once their condition allows. Police believe excessive speed may also have been a factor.
Community Mourns
A cousin of Camilla said: “She was beautiful, reserved. Like a doll, the way she was brought up together with her brother. She had just come back from a week away on holiday with school friends – no one could have imagined a tragedy like this.”
