Boat drama on Lake Maggiore four dead: ‘My friend lost his wife, his house and his dog’

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The sun is reflected in the smooth water of the lake. Small waves settle on the sandy beach. The warmth and light invite you to take a bath in early summer. Lake Maggiore shows its friendliest face on Whit Monday. The three water police boats on the horizon are the only reminder of the catastrophe of the day before. There, about 600 meters off the coast of Lisanza near Sesto Calende (I), divers are trying to recover the sunken «Good…uria».

It’s late afternoon. A birthday party has rented the party houseboat. There are 21 tourists from Italy, Israel and Great Britain between the ages of 20 and 60. There are also two crew members. A large group for the 16 meter long «Good…uria». The weather forecast for tomorrow says a thunderstorm is coming. Yet the chartered boat is in the lake. It is late afternoon when the storm comes up. “The sky darkened and then it started pouring,” recalls Luca Caietti, 61, who lives by the lake. Rarely has he experienced such a storm, says the architect from Lisanza.

“I saw them drag a body ashore”

The skipper also sees the storm approaching. He hurriedly starts to drive home. But the boat doesn’t make it to the harbor anymore. At 7 pm it starts to rain. Perhaps awnings should protect against the rain. But, apparently, the strong wind caught them – the boat capsized. People are thrown overboard. No one hears their screams in the roar of the thunder. A passenger swims to the pontoon and alerts the authorities.

“I got a call from a journalist,” says Eduardo Favarone (67). The deputy mayor of Sesto Calende immediately rushes to the coast, from where rescue operations are in full swing. Despite the storm, a helicopter takes off and scans the lake with a thermal imager. Ten ambulances and two fire engines are on the bank as the rescue units of the water police and the Guardia di Finanza rush to help the capsized.

Italian prosecutor investigated

“Around 8 p.m. the first dead body was recovered,” says Favarone, “I saw them pull the body ashore.” The search lasts all night. In the morning, the sad balance is clear: four dead. Including an Italian († 62) and an Italian († 53). According to “La Stampa”, both worked for Italian intelligence. The third victim is an Israeli tourist. The fourth dead is the wife of the houseboat owner. The native Russian († 50) lived with her husband Claudio C.* (53) on the “Good…uria”. They had also rented the houseboat for sightseeing tours.

Shipyard owner Angelo Moratti (59) is shocked. He knew Claudio C. well. “I know him from charity events. He lived by renting out his boat. Now he has lost everything: his wife, his house and probably his little dog, to whom he was very attached. From what I heard, he was also on board.” Now there may be legal consequences. The public prosecutor’s office in Busto Arsizio (I) has opened an investigation and is investigating to what extent the tragedy could have been prevented.

* Name known

Source: Blick