Emergency rescue teams are conducting an overnight search at Lake Vico, a volcanic crater lake north of Rome, after Luigi Cavallari, the 84-year-old husband of Italian Cabinet Minister Eugenia Roccella, went missing on Saturday afternoon.
The incident has triggered a massive search operation and a wave of solidarity from Italy’s top political leadership.
A sudden emergency on the water
The couple had been spending Saturday at the lake near Fiorò, a locality in the municipality of Ronciglione, located about a 90-minute drive north of the capital. According to initial reports, Cavallari, a retired architecture professor, had just boarded a small boat with his wife when he dived into the water to cool off from the intense summer heat.
Upon surfacing briefly, Cavallari informed those on board that he felt unwell. However, the unmoored boat had already drifted away, preventing those on board from reaching him in time before he disappeared beneath the surface.
Roccella, who serves as Italy’s Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, raised the alarm at approximately 17:30.
Frigid depths and low visibility hamper search
Rescue operations began immediately but have faced severe environmental obstacles. Fire service divers from Viterbo and specialised helicopter personnel were quickly dispatched, alongside Carabinieri diving teams. An ambulance and medical staff from Rieti’s emergency services remain stationed on the shoreline.
The search has proven technically challenging due to the specific conditions of the volcanic lake:
- Extreme Temperatures: While surface temperatures are warm, the lake drops to a frigid 8°C (46°F) at a depth of 15 meters.
- Near-Zero Visibility: The silty lakebed and dense underwater vegetation along the banks have severely limited visual diving efforts.
After initial visual sweeps yielded no results, rescue teams deployed electronic scanning equipment.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her deep concern on social media, writing that her sympathy and that of the entire cabinet goes out to the minister and her family.
