NAPLES – A 33 year-old woman, Rosa Palma,  who on Saturday afternoon ran over and killed her 6-year-old daughter in reverse in Casalnuovo, in the province of Naples, was discovered to not have a driving licence, according to local officials.

 The woman was practising driving the car, an Audi A3 which belonged to a friend, while her companion and the child were watching from behind. The mother may have released the clutch too quickly, hitting the two immediately behind and killing the little girl on impact, while the man was practically unharmed.

At first, some witnesses had reported, presumably with the intention of protecting the mother who was in shock at the incident, that the person responsible for the tragedy was a hit-and-run driver, who then drove away.

 However, the investigations carried out by the Carabinieri quickly led to the discovery of the truth and the information that the women did not have a driving licence. The investigation is now trying to identify who is at fault for the death. An autopsy will be performed on the child's body, then the funeral will take place.

 eb