Lake Maggiore, boat sinks: four dead. What happened

On Sunday evening, May 29, a boat carrying 25 people capsized while attempting to return to port in Lisanza, on Lake Maggiore. There are currently 19 people rescued and four people reported dead. The search by firefighters by helicopter had to be called off due to darkness that occurred late in the evening, but resumed this morning at dawn.

The boat sank 150 meters off the coast

According to reports in major media outlets, on the evening of Sunday, May 29, 2023, a boat sailing in the waters of Lake Maggiore with 25 people on board allegedly attempted an unsuccessful return to port in decidedly challenging weather conditions, capsizing and sinking. On the16-meter charteredboat, again according to the little information available at the moment, there were apparently Italian and foreign (Israeli and British) passengers intent on celebrating a birthday since the afternoon. As early as 5 p.m., weather conditions reportedly worsened significantly in the Varese area, where precisely the boat was located-precisely off Lisanza. In fact, Malpensa Airport temporarily suspended air traffic yesterday evening due to the violent storm. From the first testimonies gathered from people rescued-all of whom are not in life-threatening and in good condition-the boat allegedly capsized suddenly around 7:30 p.m., as if it had been hit by a whirlwind. All the passengers on board reportedly spilled into the waters of Lake Maggiore in front of Lisanza, where the landing the boat was attempting to reach is located. The boat reportedly capsized about 150 meters from the coast, sinking in a short time. Many of the people on board managed to save themselves by swimming to shore, others were rescued by a number of boats–also sailboats–that came to the rescue. Unfortunately, two bodies were recovered lifeless as early as yesterday evening by divers from the Milan Fire Department, who promptly arrived at the scene of the accident with several marine vehicles and a helicopter rescue. Searches resumed in the morning recovered two more bodies, bringing the total death toll to four, although there is still uncertainty about the exact number of people on board at the time of the incident. Coast Guard, Fire Department and Carabinieri teams immediately set to work on the search, but adverse weather conditions greatly complicated operations. The Busto Arsizio prosecutor ‘s office has reportedly already opened an investigation to ascertain that there was no responsibility for the incident, such as on the part of those who were leading the boat.