Italian father throws 14-month-old daughter and son, four, to their deaths and then leaps from balcony

himself in despair after losing his job

Marco Turrini, 41, pushed 14-month-old Benedetta and Samuele, four, to their deaths after row with wife He tried but failed to throw his wife off six-floor balcony in Brescia before leaping to his death Father died instantly but children perished in hospital Mother who watched in horror being treated for shock

By Nick Pisa and Julian Gavaghan PUBLISHED: 11:01, 21 May 2012 | UPDATED: 01:56, 22 May 2012

An Italian father threw his two children to their deaths from his sixth-floor balcony and then leapt himself, while in despair about losing his advertising job. Marco Turrini, 41, was killed instantly and his 14-month-old daughter and four-year-old son died in hospital. Mr Turrini had been unemployed for 18 months after the advertising firm where he worked was hit by the economic crisis.

Tragic: The body of Marco Turrini is taken away after he killed his two children and then himself in Brescia

He had grown increasingly depressed as he struggled to find a new job, his neighbours in the northern Italian town of Brescia said. His wife Elena More was in the flat at the time and had been heard arguing with Mr Turrini before he grabbed their children, Samuele and Benedetta. She was yesterday being treated for shock. Later Mr Turrini's cousin Maurizio said: I cant believe it. I knew he wasnt working but I didnt think things were this bad. 'What did the children have to do with this?'

Sickening: Turrini, whose body is seen being taken away in a coffin, lost his job 18 months ago, was said to be despairing about money when he threw his two children from a sixth floor balcony

Barely concealed: Turrini's body covered by a blanket while police officers stand by it

Mr Turrini, who had no history of violence nor a criminal record, is understood to have feared losing his wife and his home as the family's situation worsened. A neighour, Elisabetta, who witnessed the horror unfold, said she heard the screaming and then rushed down to the street to see what had happened. When she saw the children, 'I felt I was still breathing. I tried to feel the heartbeat of the baby, but it was already very weak,' she told the Giornale di Brescia newspaper. Mr Turrini's cousin Maurizio revealed that the man's father had committed suicide a year ago by hanging himself.

Madness: Turrini, whose body was later shielded from view, has been arging with his wife before snapping

Height: The apartment block where the tragedy happened

The tragedy is thought to be the latest in a string of suicides by people who have been hit by the downturn in the economy and the ongoing eurozone crisis which has increased unemployment. The case is also chilling echo of Briton John Hogan, 37, who shoved his daughter Mia, two, and son Liam, six, off a hotel Balcony in Greece after a row with his wife Natasha. He and Mia survived with broken bones but tragic Liam died from head injuries after the fourth-floor death plunge in Crete in 2006. A coroner originally ruled Liam's death unlawful but this was overturned by the High Court because evidence suggesting Hogan was insane at the time of the killing was ignored.

Chilling echo: John Hogan, left, threw his son Liam and daughter Mia off a hotel balcony in Crete before leaping off after a row with his then wife Natasha

But a second inquest last November backed the original decision after hearing bombshell new testimony from a British forensic psychiatrist who claimed the father would not have been insane when he jumped. However, Hogan has yet to face charges over the deaths.