A boat packed with tourists has capsized on a lake in Italy and authorities report that at least four people have died in the accident.
The 52-foot boat, said to have been chartered to celebrate a birthday for British tourists, capsized during a “whirlwind” on Lake Maggiore on Sunday night.
The ship was carrying 25 people, including 23 tourists and two crew members, according to reports by Italy’s Varese News, citing the Busto Arsizio Public Ministry.
Said ministry will lift the reservations on the first investigations “as soon as it has all the elements, such as the remains of the shipwreck that are submerged in depth and that must be returned to the shore.”
It should be noted that 14 people managed to reach the nearby Piccaluga shipyard, while Italian police and firefighters took another five to the lakeside town of Lisanza.
According to local reports, many of the survivors swam to shore, however on Sunday night two were said to be in a “moderately critical” condition, with another three being treated at hospital for less serious injuries.
For the moment, no autopsy will be performed on the bodies of the victims, which are two men and two women: an Israeli citizen, the first to be found last night, two Italian tourists (a man and a woman) and another woman of Russian origin, wife of the ship’s captain.
Rescue teams, including divers, worked through the night, combing the area where the boat sank, looking for the missing.
Lake Maggiore is the second largest in Italy and popular with tourists.
A video released by the local fire service showed pieces of wood debris floating in the lake as a helicopter flew overhead.
“A whirlwind caused a very serious accident. The firefighters from the Milan diving unit are working on the scene together with the coast guard, the air rescue and the Areu ambulances,” said Attilio Fontana, president of the region, according to the media.
Lake Maggiore has suffered from bad weather over the past weekend, with Italy’s weather service issuing storm warnings.
The UK Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with local authorities in Italy following a boat accident and stand ready to provide consular assistance to any British nationals involved.”
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