“Shipwreck of the 007” – why the accident on Lake Maggiore raises many questions Cassis chairs the UN session on the safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

Two Italian secret service employees, a former member of the Israeli security forces and a Russian woman: Four people were killed when a pleasure boat capsized on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. “Shipwreck of the 007”, headlined the Italian daily newspaper “La Stampa” after the accident last Sunday.

The background to the accident, the reason for the meeting and the identity of those on board the tour boat – the incident raises many questions. An overview:

Who were the victims?

According to investigators, Italian agents Claudio Alonzi, 62, and Tiziana Barnobi, 53, died as well as retired Israeli Mossad agent Shimoni Erez, 50. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has since confirmed his death. The fourth victim is Russian Anya Bozhkova (50), the wife of the captain who rents the boat to tourists.

The accident happened shortly after 7 p.m. on Sunday near Lisanza, about 150 meters from the coast. According to media reports, up to 25 people were on board the excursion boat at the time – 20 of them alleged to have been “Italian and Israeli agents”. The survivors were able to swim to shore or were pulled from the water by passing boats.

The passengers were then apparently in a hurry to leave the scene. Ten Israelis returned to Tel Aviv on a military flight Monday morning, according to the newspaper “La Repubblica”.

“The Italians also hurriedly left the emergency room and hotels where they were staying.” This is reported by the online portal Milano Today. Huffington Post Italia wrote that those affected were still questioned on Monday night, but then “disappeared quickly”.

What was the reason for the meeting?

Lake Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy and a popular holiday destination. According to the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Serra”, the boat was officially celebrating a birthday. This was also confirmed by a number of secret service employees from Italy and Israel who were among the more than 20 people.

A couple who worked for the Italian secret service also died. The responsible Italian Secretary of State, Alfredo Mantovano, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. The two wanted to celebrate a friend’s birthday on board.

A report from “Bild” speculated that there may have been an exchange of classified documents on the boat after the group met as early as noon at the “Il Verbano” restaurant. According to a reporter for the newspaper, divers could be seen entering the water on the shore – in a very different place than Monday. Police officers gruffly blocked investigations, the salvage work was shielded.

“Bild”, quoted Carlo Nocerino, head of the public prosecutor’s office of Busto Arsizio:

What was the cause of the accident?

So far, all indications are that strong winds and heavy local precipitation caused the boat, dubbed “Good…uria”, to capsize and sink an estimated 15 meters to the bottom of the lake. The four dead may have been trapped in the sinking boat and could not free themselves in time.

According to the president of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, the “very serious incident” was caused by a “torrent”. The 16-meter boat had been rented by tourists, Fontana said on the social media platform Facebook.

But the storm was apparently not the only factor: according to the “Corriere della Sera”, only 15 passengers were allowed on the boat, in fact there would have been at least eight other men and women on board.

The fact that the boat was so overloaded severely limited its maneuverability – especially in the storm that was raging at the time of the accident. According to the report, the boat could no longer avoid the waves – and capsized.

What details are there about the investigation?

Prosecutor Nocerino confirmed to “Bild” that the investigation was not against any specific person. However, the tour boat captain is responsible. “Corriere della Sera” reported that he not only ignored the maximum number of passengers allowed, but apparently also ignored all weather warnings for the storm. There may not have been enough life jackets on board. Strong wind gusts with speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour were predicted in advance.

Sources

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(t-online/dsc)