This image, released by the Italian Fire Brigade, shows a helicopter searching for missing people after a tourist boat capsized in a storm on Italy's Lake Maggiore. © Dpa
A sailboat capsized on Lake Maggiore in Italy on Sunday evening. Several people were initially missing, but now four people have been recovered dead.
Update from May 29, 19:39 p.m.: In the meantime, the identities of the dead in the context of the tragic boat accident on Lake Maggiore have been clarified. According to the Repubblica, they are a Russian, an Israeli and an Italian couple. According to the report, the 50-year-old Russian woman was the captain's partner. He regularly rented out his boat to groups of tourists. In addition, a 62-year-old Italian and his 53-year-old wife died. The two were, therefore, employees of the Italian secret service. They were privately on the boat to celebrate a friend's birthday.
Italian carabinieri guard the entrance to the marina on Lake Maggiore, in the waters off the Lisanza district of Sesto Calende, in the province of Varese, Lisanza. The bodies of four people were recovered on Lake Maggiore after a tourist boat capsized and sank late Sunday due to a sudden storm. © imago
In addition, a 50-year-old Israeli died. This was confirmed by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He was a "pensioner of the security forces".
Update of May 29, 15:49 p.m.: A birthday party on Lake Maggiore (Italy) ended in a terrible tragedy. Four people died on Sunday evening. A severe storm and strong winds had caused the tourist ship to capsize. Apparently, a hurricane had hit the houseboat "Goduria". There were 24 people on board, including from Germany and Great Britain, including two members of the crew.
Tourist boat capsizes on Lake Maggiore: "There was no weather warning" – assures Mayor of Sesto Calende
In the icy water, some passengers managed to swim to the shore, others were rescued by boats. For four, any help came too late – three tourists and the captain's wife. The wreck lies at a depth of 15 meters and is to be recovered, according to the Italian fire brigade. The public prosecutor's office is investigating the causes of the accident – including whether the boat rented by tourists was actually approved for the number of passengers and properly maintained.
However, the main cause of the fatal accident on Lake Maggiore is still the weather. No one could have foreseen the storm on Sunday evening. "There was no weather warning," Sesto Calende Mayor Giovanni Buzzi told Italian newspaper La Repubblica. He was not aware of any specific weather warning. Even the civil protection had confirmed this to him. The houseboat had sailed from Sesto Calende on Sunday evening before capsizing.
Tourist boat capsizes on Lake Maggiore – four people die
Update from May 29, 11:01 a.m.: A tourist boat capsized on Lake Maggiore in Italy – four people died in the accident on Sunday evening (May 28). A birthday party that had rented the boat was apparently surprised by a violent storm.
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"A strong gust of wind caused the boat to capsize," eyewitnesses report on the Italian TV channel Rai. The 16-meter boat was sailing in the south of the lake when it suddenly capsized and sank. The fatalities are two women and two men, reports the Italian news agency Ansa. It is said to be three tourists, an Israeli and an Italian and an Italian. The captain's wife, who is a Russian citizen, was also among the victims.
At the time of the accident, there were 24 people on board, including two crew members, writes the Italian newspaper Repubblica. Lake Maggiore in northern Italy is very popular with holidaymakers and tourists as an excursion destination. The lake, with a length of 65 kilometers, is the second largest lake in Italy after Lake Garda.
Tragedy on Lake Maggiore – tourist boat capsizes and sinks
Update of May 29, 9:17 a.m.: A Pentecost excursion with a boat on Lake Maggiore (Italy) ended in a terrible tragedy. According to initial findings, the sailboat was caught in a severe storm, which then developed into a hurricane, reports the Italian news agency Ansa. The 16-meter-long ship with passengers and crew on board capsized and sank. All 24 people landed in the icy water. Four people were killed in the accident. 20 were rescued. Some had even managed to swim ashore.
The drama occurred on Sunday evening around 19 p.m. on Lake Maggiore between Sesto Calende (Varese) and Arona (Novara) at the height of Lisanza, a district of Sesto Calende. The Italian fire brigade wants to recover the capsized ship from the water on Monday.
Fatal accident on Lake Maggiore – death toll rises
Update from May 29, 8:55 a.m.: After the tragic accident on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, the death toll is rising. As the fire brigade explained on Monday morning via Twitter, four people were recovered lifeless.
On board the boat were 23 tourists and two crew members, according to AFP. As reported by Bild, citing the president of the Lombardy region, Attilo Fontana, among the tourists, holidaymakers from Germany are said to have been among the tourists.
Sailboat capsizes on Lake Maggiore – numerous tourists apparently missing
Original article from May 29, 2023: Sesto Calende - A tragic accident occurred on Sunday evening on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. As the Italian news agencies Ansa and Adnkronos report, several people have disembarked in a boat accident. One person was killed in the accident on Sunday evening (28 May), 19 people were rescued.
This was confirmed by the fire brigade via Twitter. As the dpa reports, citing media reports, five people came to a clinic, the rest were treated on site. There is still no trace of several people. This is reported by the AFP news agency, citing fire department spokesman Luca Cari. Accordingly, rescue divers and helicopter crews are looking for several missing people. It is not yet known exactly how many people are still missing after the accident.
Tragic accident in Italy: tourist boat capsizes on Lake Maggiore – one dead, numerous missing
The boat capsized in the evening during a storm at the southern end of the lake near the town of Lisanza, which is located on the Lombard side of the lake. According to the president of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, a strong storm led to the accident. The 16-meter-long sailboat had been rented by tourists, he wrote on Facebook.
