Race Car Kills 2 Spectators in Monte Carlo

Two people were killed and three others injured today when Italian driver Alessandro Fiorio’s Lancia Integrale ran off the road into a ravine, hitting spectators at the 57th Monte Carlo Rally, organizers said.

Fiorio, 23, who finished third in last year’s world championships, also had missed a turn Sunday, injuring two spectators by the roadway, but he was able to stay in the race. He and his co-driver, Luigi Pirollo, suffered bruises in today’s crash and this time had to drop out.

Neither could give any reason for the accident.

One spectator was killed on the spot and another died later of head injuries in a hospital in Aubenas after being taken there by helicopter, organizers said.

Two of the injured were transported by ambulances. There was no immediate word on their conditions. The third was treated at the scene.

The accident was the latest in a series at international auto rallies and renewed questions about security at such races.

Rallies are run along thousands of miles of often winding roads, making crowd control difficult. In the Monte Carlo race there are ice, snow patches and moisture, and drivers race at maximum possible speeds against the clock, trying to save a few seconds and improve their positions.