Body of ‘Hero’ British father found at bottom of Italian Lake after he jumped from boat to save his son
18 August 2022, 11:23 | Updated: 18 August 2022, 15:38
The body of a British father who jumped from a boat into Lake Garda to save his son has been found hundreds of metres under water over three weeks after he went missing.
Aran Chada, 51, dived from a boat into the Italian lake after his 14-year-old son got into difficulty in the water.
Mr Chada was able to push his son towards the vessel, successfully saving him, before getting into trouble himself and then slipping below the waterline. His body was found at a depth of 316m (1,037ft) and a distance of 800m (2,625ft) from Limone, the coastguard said.
The lake is a popular tourist destination, and Mr Chada became the seventh person to die on the lake within a month.
A major search of the lake followed, and volunteers using underwater drones found Mr Chada’s body on Tuesday Afternoon.
The body of the father was discovered beneath 316 metres of water, about 800 metres from the shore.
The coastguard believe the drowning was “probably caused by an illness following the rescue that Mr Chada had carried out.
It said it believed that he may have suffered a thermal shock seizure.
Whilst air temperatures at the time were 38 degrees Celsius, the coastguard noted the water was “a good ten degrees colder”.
Mr Chada, a sales director, was reportedly on holiday with his two children and his partner, Holly Mosley, 39.
When he disappeared, Mr Chada’s wife dialled international emergency telephone number 112, starting a search lasting weeks – interrupted only by a few days of bad weather.
The search, co-ordinated by the coastguard, involved police, a helicopter and naval and firefighter dive teams equipped with sonar and remote-operated vehicles.
At the time of Mr Chada’s disappearance, coastguard commander Antonello Ragadale described the British father as a ‘hero’.
Mr Chada, was due to celebrate his birthday on holiday.
His family have been informed of the discovery of his body.
The Foreign Office said in a statement: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in North Italy and are in contact with the local authorities."
