Four people were killed when a tourist boat capsized on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy in strong winds, firefighters learned on Monday.
The sixteen-metre-long boat overturned off the coast of Lisanza at the southern end of the lake on Sunday evening when the weather suddenly turned stormy.
“The bodies of four people were found,” fire department spokesman Luca Cari told AFP.
The President of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, had complained on Sunday evening about a “very serious incident” caused by a “hurricane”.
About 20 surviving passengers were pulled out of the water by other boats or managed to swim ashore, Italian media reported.
According to this press information, the boat with Italian and foreign tourists on board quickly sank, taking one of the victims with it.
Videos filmed by firefighters showed a search helicopter hovering over choppy water while chairs and other debris swarmed around.
Located in the Southern Alps, Lake Maggiore is Italy’s second largest lake and a popular tourist destination.