Tragedy due to bad weather in the evening on Lake Maggiore for a group of about twenty foreigners gathered for a birthday party. A boat, a houseboat, was caught in a violent storm which then became a whirlwind that caused it to overturn and sink.
Three people died and one is still missing according to an indefinite toll, twenty were saved and have not recovered from serious injuries. Rescue efforts were slowed by heavy rain and darkness. The drama occurred on the stretch of water between Sesto Calende (Varese) and Arona (Novara) at the height of Lisanza (which is a town in Sesto Calende) around 7pm. The divers of the fire brigade are at work together with the helicopter to search for them.
The boat capsized and then capsized and sank. All the occupants ended up in the water, about twenty of whom were rescued by boats or swam ashore. According to what was announced by Areu, there were 24 people on the vessel, including passengers and crew. An air ambulance, 3 medical vehicles, 2 maxi emergency coordination vehicles Areu, 10 ambulances, the fire brigade, the Coast Guard and the Carabinieri arrived on site as quickly as possible.
3 people in green code in Angera (Varese) and 2 in yellow code in Gallarate (Varese) and Varese were transported to hospital. Another 15 were rescued and assisted on the spot. The boat was 16 meters long, a private vessel that carries out escort services for tourists on the lake. There were a couple of crew members on board. The party was surprised, as mentioned, by the violent bad weather that hit Verbano. The passengers found themselves in the icy waters of Lake Maggiore: some were saved by other boats, others managed to swim ashore.
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