Italian tenor Licitra wounded in road accident

ITALY: Renowned Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra was seriously wounded in a road accident in southern Sicily, the ANSA news agency said Sunday.

The accident happened late Saturday when Licitra, 42 years old, lost control of his Vespa scooter near Raguse and crashed into a wall. He was rushed to hospital in Catane, in eastern Sicily. The tenor was not wearing a helmet and suffered serious injuries to the head and chest, while his 29-year-old Chinese partner was protected by her helmet and suffered only light injuries. The Swiss-born Sicilian was to receive an award in Raguse on September 3. He shot to stardom when he debuted at La Scala in 1999 and sealed his status as one of the world's leading tenors when he stepped in for Luciano Pavarotti in Tosca in 2002.

AFP