Four people have died after a tourist boat capsized during a storm in Italy.
Authorities confirmed on Monday that bodies had been recovered from Lake Maggiore in the north’s Lombardy region after divers searched overnight.
The victims included an Israeli tourist, two Italians and the Russian wife of the skipper, according to Italian newspaper La Reppublica. The boat had reportedly departed from a shipyard in Sesto Calende as part of a birthday outing.
Italian firefighters confirmed on Monday that they recovered four bodies from Lake Maggiore
Sky Italia has reported that British nationals were among the passengers on board though this has yet to be confirmed by officials.
Authorities said 19 people managed to swim to the shore following a sudden storm with strong winds, which sank the boat.
Firefighters were called to Lake Maggiore in Sesto Calende, Italy, on Sunday after a tourist boat overturned and sunk. The bodies of four people were recovered during the night.
Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s national firefighters, said they recovered the fourth victim’s body about 8 a.m. local time Monday from Lake Maggiore near Sesto Calende, in the province of Varese in northern Italy.
Divers and a helicopter were used in the search and rescue operation. Now that those operations are complete, recovery of the 52.5-foot long vessel begins, firefighters said.
Alfredo Mantovano, the senior government official tasked with overseeing Italy’s secret services, expressed his sympathy to families of the victims, the news agency reports.
A pensioner who was formerly a member of the Israeli security forces and the Russian wife of the boat captain also died in the accident, Israel’s foreign ministry and local media told Reuters.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are in contact with local authorities in Italy after a boat accident and are ready to provide consular assistance to any British nationals involved.”
