emergencies
Party boat capsized in storms in Italy: four dead
Four people die in a boat accident on Lake Maggiore (symbol image). photo
© picture alliance / dpa
The boat had been rented for a birthday party. Then suddenly a storm comes up. There are dead and injured.
It was supposed to be a happy birthday party on the picturesque Lago Maggiore – but then a storm brought death. Four people died in a boat accident on Italy’s second largest lake last night.
They were celebrating like about 20 other people when suddenly a storm blew up and strong gusts of wind caused their rented houseboat to capsize. The remaining passengers were able to swim ashore or were fished out of the water by the rushing rescue teams.
Four dead
For two men and two women, however, any help came too late – the last of the four victims was only discovered and recovered by divers this morning. Video footage showed Coast Guard and Carabinieri forces bringing a black plastic bag ashore over a jetty near Sesto Calende.
A man and a woman from Italy, a Russian woman and a man from Israel died. This was announced by the public prosecutor’s office in the city of Busto Arsizio near Milan, as reported by the Ansa news agency.
When asked by dpa, the German consulate general in Milan said that no Germans were among the fatalities. Israel’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, confirmed the death of an approximately 50-year-old Israeli.
It was initially unclear how many people were on the boat. It also remained unclear whether there were German citizens among those rescued and whether they were possibly injured. Five people were taken to hospitals, but no one was seriously injured, according to Ansa.
strong winds
The accident happened around 7 p.m. in the evening. “Actually, it was a beautiful day yesterday,” a local resident told reporters. “But we saw that a big thunderstorm was coming from Milan.” Lake Maggiore lies north-west of the metropolis between Lombardy and Piedmont and borders on Switzerland to the north.
The birthday party was on the boat about 150 meters from the shore in the evening. According to previous knowledge, strong winds and strong, local precipitation then led to the boat capsizing. Most of the passengers were able to swim ashore or were rescued by other boats. Two helicopters, helpers from the coast guard and fire brigade and divers were deployed.
According to media reports, the Russian woman who died was the partner of the boat owner and captain. Both lived on the houseboat and made it available for celebrations. It has been said that such excursions on Lake Maggiore are very popular.
Prosecutors are investigating how the boat capsized and why it did not return to port. The province of Varese, in which Sesto Calende is located, was hit by bad weather around 5 p.m. – delays occurred at the nearby Milan-Malpensa airport as a result. The newspaper “Corriere della Sera” quoted from interviews with rescued passengers, according to which the boat suddenly overturned and capsized.
“There have been weather warnings all week,” said Giovanni Buzzi, the mayor of Sesto Calende. However, severe hurricanes were not expected, he added. “But such storm events are becoming more and more extreme.”