Four killed in tour boat capsizing in northern Italy

Photo: Vigili Del Fuoco

Four people were killed after a boat carrying foreign tourists capsized in Lake Maggiore in northern Italy’s Lombardy region as a storm swept through the same area on Sunday, May 28.

The incident occurred shortly after 19:30 local time on Sunday when the 16-metre-long vessel encountered strong winds that caused it to overturn and forced its occupants to jump into the water.

An official of the country’s Vigili del Fuoco firefighting service said search and rescue (SAR) personnel and the crews of some Good Samaritan vessels deployed to the area shortly afterwards and eventually evacuated 20 people to safety. This number includes five people who were later brought to hospital, though none of the survivors are believed to have suffered serious injuries.

The SAR effort continued through the evening of Sunday and concluded at 08:00 on Monday, May 29, following the recovery of four bodies from the surrounding waters.

The four deceased individuals included one Russian, one Israeli, and two Italian nationals, all of whom have been identified as occupants of the ill-fated boat. The survivors meanwhile include British nationals.

Local authorities said a salvage operation is being planned to recover the capsized vessel as part of the investigation into the tragedy.


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