Italy: Truck breaks picket line, kills union leaders

In Italy, a man with his truck ran over and fatally injured a trade unionist during a demonstration near Milan.

The incident occurred in the morning during a national warning strike by the trade union association SI Cobas at a supermarket, as reported by the Ansa news agency.

The Carabinieri arrested the driver, who had initially fled, and interrogated him.

The exact circumstances of the arrest are unclear.

The union spoke of the murder of its coordinator on its Facebook page.

Politicians are appalled

According to reports, a few dozen protesters tried to prevent trucks from entering and leaving the company in Biandrate, about 65 kilometers west of the northern Italian metropolis of Milan.

A driver is said to have got into an argument with the blockers, as the newspaper "Corriere della Sera" wrote.

He is said to have forced the passage and hit the 37-year-old trade unionist, who later died, and two other people who came to the hospital.

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi said he was affected by the events during a visit to the Catalan city of Barcelona.

"It is necessary that what has happened is cleared up immediately," he said.

Many Italian politicians expressed their horror.

bbr / dpa / AP