Reggio Calabria: tragedy narrowly avoided on Aspromonte. Carabinieri rescue newborn baby with respiratory arrest.

A Ferragosto that risked turning into a tragedy for an entire family from Cittanova, Reggio Calabria, who had gone up to spend the holiday on Aspromonte. In front of the incredulous look of their parents and uncles, little Iolanda, 5 months old, started to shut down and no longer react to stimuli. Attempts to awaken her failed and they realized that the baby had stopped breathing, the two parents decided to run to Polistena, a municipality in the Piana di Gioia Tauro where the nearest hospital is located.

An arduous route, lasting more than half an hour, with the roads congested by the transit of holidaymakers who this August 15th preferred the coolness of the mountains to the tempting beaches of Reggio. But luckily for Iolanda and her parents, a few meters from their bivouac there was a patrol of the Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Reggio Calabria, committed this August bank holiday to ensuring public safety in the cities and places with the greatest tourist flow.

The soldiers of the Carabinieri, understanding the gravity of the situation, wasted no time and, with sirens blaring, they opened the way to the car in which the unfortunate little girl was travelling. During the route, they then contacted their Operations Center via radio, requesting the intervention of an ambulance further down the valley and the help of the other patrols on the circuit to clear the streets and block intersections as they pass.

In a race against time, in which every second was as precious as gold, the two machines reached Novigrad. Here, Iolanda was made to sit in the 118 car together with her mother and father and the medical staff immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers.. Having regained its rhythm and breathing, the ambulance, escorted by the Carabinieri, set off in code red towards the Polistena hospital, where it was able to receive the required treatment. He is now out of danger.

“It is thanks to them that I can still hold my little Iolanda in my arms” commented Giuseppe, the little girl's father, thanking the two soldiers who intervened immediately, both on duty at the Novigrad station.

The episode demonstrates, once again, the extreme sensitivity of the Carabinieri to the needs of the population, whatever they may be. The widespread diffusion throughout the national territory and, in particular, in small towns and hamlets - where the Carabinieri Station often represents the only point of reference for the citizens - constitutes one of the strengths of the Institution and allows a timely intervention by the military, even in the event of rescue of people who are victims of natural events.