A British woman was killed after her Fiat Punto reportedly hit a pothole, causing the car to roll into a canal in Italy.
Police spotted the vehicle in the water half-hidden among vegetation during a routine patrol and alerted firefighters who managed to reach and open it using specialist equipment where they then discovered the 44-year-old victim’s body inside.
Attempts to revive her proved unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at the scene before being taken to a nearby Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.
Local reports said CCTV footage obtained by police after the tragedy showed the unnamed woman crashing after hitting a pothole along the wet road.
Her Fiat Punto is said to have overturned before ending up in the water.
The alarm was raised around 9am yesterday. The drama occurred in the commune of Villa Literno in the province of Caserta, just over 15 miles northwest of the southern Italian city of Naples.
The woman killed is understood to live in Pozzuoli on the outskirts of Naples.
Her car was winched out of the water by a crane after her body was removed. Pictures published in local press showed the recovery operation taking place.
It was not immediately clear this morning what the Brit was doing in the area and where she was heading to.
There have been no reports pointing to anyone else being in the vehicle with her but a police investigation into the incident was continuing today.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
