Four people died and around 18 survived after a tourist boat capsized and sank in a storm on Lago Maggiore in northern Italy.
The boat overturned on Sunday evening between the towns of Sesto Calende and Arona. According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, two of the victims were Israeli. The boat had reportedly departed from a boatyard in Sesto Calende as part of a birthday outing. It is unclear what other nationalities were on the boat.
The president of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, confirmed in a Facebook post that the boat, which had more than 20 passengers on board, as well as crew, was 16 metres long and had been hired by tourists.
He said the “very serious incident” had been “caused by a whirlwind”.
Birthday celebration ends in disaster
The boat had been carrying about 24 people, including two crew, who were celebrating a birthday when a storm developed over the lake.
Everyone onboard went into the water, but many of the passengers swam ashore or were rescued by other boats. Rescue divers and a helicopter scrambled to help with the search.
A video shared by firefighters showed chairs and other debris floating in choppy waters, following the Lago Maggiore boating accident.
Lake Maggiore is on the southern side of the Alps and crosses over into Switzerland. It is a popular destination for tourists.
Two years ago, fourteen people died in a cable car crash on the mountains close to Lago Maggiore.
