The body of a ‘hero’ British father who jumped from a boat to save his son has been discovered at a popular tourist lake in Italy, more than three weeks after he went missing.
Aran Chada, 51, was reportedly on holiday with his family last month when he drowned in Lake Garda.
The incident happened on July 22 and his body was found on Tuesday afternoon by volunteers using underwater drones, according to the local coast guard.
It was discovered at a depth of 316 meters (1,036 feet) and about 800 meters (2,624 feet) from the coast, near the seaside resort of Limone.
Sales manager Mr Chada had rented a boat with his two children and partner Holly Mosley, 39, on the lake.
They were about 500 meters (1,640 feet) from shore when her 14-year-old son got into trouble in the waterso he dived in and managed to push it towards the ship to save it, the coast guard said.
Mr Chada then got himself into trouble and slipped underwater, triggering a major search.
The coastguard said the drowning was “probably caused by illness following the rescue Mr Chada carried out on the first child, who was in danger”.
Following the tragedy, he said he thought he may have suffered a heat shock attack.
Temperatures were around 38C, but the water was “a good 10 degrees cooler”.
Coastguard Commander Antonello Ragadale said at the time he was a “hero” and authorities were doing everything they could to find him.
The search began after Mr Chada’s wife raised the alarm by calling the international emergency telephone number 112, and has continued uninterrupted – except for a few days when bad weather interrupted work.
There have been at least seven dead in the lake in a month.
His body was discovered by volunteers. Photo: Guardia Costiera
The Coast Guard coordinated the operation, which involved police, a helicopter and navy and fire dive teams equipped with sonar and remotely operated vehicles.
He was due to celebrate his birthday on holiday and his family, who are now back in England, have been informed of the discovery of his body.
A neighbor in the village of Woodhouse Eaves, near Loughborough, who declined to be named, said after Mr Chada disappeared: ‘They have been part of the village for years. It’s just very, very tragic.’
Another man, who has known the family for many years, said it was “heartbreaking”.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mr. Chada worked for Global Energy Ventures, a company that services oil fields in Africa.
The Foreign Office said in a statement: ‘We are supporting the family of a Briton who died in northern Italy and are in contact with the local authorities.
