Divers have recovered four lifeless bodies after a ship capsized in Lake Maggiore, some 85 kilometers northwest of Milan, on Sunday afternoon. They continued throughout the night to search for the last missing person until this morning when the body was found at a depth of 16 meters.
Bad weather and a storm caused the tourist boat to capsize, but an investigation began on Monday because, according to the Busto Arsizio prosecutor’s office, those who were maneuvering the sailboat should have returned to shore sooner due to the evident deterioration of the weather.
The other sailors turned back due to the violent gusts of wind, unlike this ship which was carrying 23 Italians and foreigners (apparently Israelis and Englishmen), plus two crew members.
The passengers belong to a group of friends who rented the boat for a birthday party.
The accident occurred shortly after 7:00 p.m. not far from the shore and the “Fratelli Piccaluga” nautical center in Lisanza. The relative proximity of the shore allowed some, the first to fall into the water, to reach safety by swimming despite the 150 meters they had to cover, and the rest to be rescued.
After dark, the fire brigade helicopter was unable to fly over the lake, while attempts to survey the lake continued, with increasing difficulties from torrential rain.
The sailors helped recover most of the people. The state of the other passengers rescued in hospitals is not serious.
Around 5:00 p.m., at least, bad weather had begun to hit the province of Varese, causing delays at the Malpensa airport, and various problems for the boats, particularly rowing, and this time without dramatic results, on the lake of Varese.
The investigations are in the hands of the Provincial Police Command. Investigators immediately began collecting testimony. Concordant voices recounted the rapid and impetuous process of the ship capsizing (someone spoke of “a tornado”) but the testimonies of the crew are still awaited.
The two people who were maneuvering the sailboat will have to indicate if they had received alerts about the change in weather conditions or if, perhaps with the insistence of the passengers so that the party did not stop suddenly, they risked continuing the trip.
The ship quickly sank, probably dragging some trapped passengers with no oxygen.
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