A tornado capsizes a boat with 23 tourists in front of Lisanza

Two dead and two missing in Lake Maggiore: a boat with 23 tourists capsized in front of Lisanza.

A houseboat was caught in a severe storm which then turned into a whirlwind and capsized and sank. One person is dead and three are missing according to a not yet definitive toll. Rescue efforts are slowed down 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 Areu, there were 25 people on the boat. An air ambulance, 3 medical vehicles, 2 Areu maxi emergency coordination vehicles, 10 ambulances, the fire brigade, the Coast Guard and the Carabinieri arrived 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 two sailors on board. The party was surprised 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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