Boat accident: Secret service vs. accident - What happened on Lake Maggiore?

Review: The accident occurred on Sunday evening near Lisanza, about 150 metres from the shore. According to various media reports, there were up to 25 people on board the excursion boat at the time, 20 of whom are said to have been "Italian and Israeli agents". The survivors were either able to swim to shore or were rescued from the water by passing boats. According to the "Daily news" were on duty all night searching for missing persons.

According to the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Serra", the reason for the meeting was the official celebration of a birthday. Italian State Secretary Alfredo Mantovano expressed his condolences to the victims' families. The couple, who died in the accident and worked for the Italian secret service, were apparently planning to celebrate a friend's birthday on board, according to the online news service "t-online". In addition, various media outlets first reported on a sailing boat, rather than a houseboat with a motor, which had travelled on Lake Maggiore despite a poor weather forecast. Why the skipper did not finish the trip in time is still unclear, according to SZ unclear.

A report from the "Picture" speculated that there may have been an exchange of secret documents on the boat after the group had already met at the "Il Verbano" restaurant at lunchtime. According to a reporter for the newspaper, divers could be seen entering the water at a completely different point on the shore on Tuesday than on Monday. The police had blocked questions and rescue operations were shielded by the emergency services.

The background to the accident, the reason for the meeting and the identities of the passengers raise many questions.

New findings from the boat accident on Lake Maggiore

According to information from the investigators, the Italian agents Claudio Alonzi (62) and Tiziana Barnobi (53) and the retired agent of the Israeli Mossad, Shimoni Erez (50), were killed in the accident. The death of Shimoni Erez has now also been confirmed by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The fourth victim is Anya Bozhkova (50) from Russia, the wife of the captain who was renting the capsized boat to tourists.

It appears that the passengers were in a hurry to leave the scene of the accident in Italy. According to the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica", ten Israelis returned to Tel Aviv on a military aircraft on Monday morning. The "Italians also left the emergency centre and the hotels where they were staying in a hurry", as reported by the online portal Milano Today.

The Huffington Post Italia wrote, among other things, that the victims were still being questioned on Monday night, but then "quickly disappeared".

Cause of the boat capsizing

So far, all indications are that strong winds and heavy rainfall caused the boat to tip to one side and sink an estimated 15 metres to the bottom of the lake. It is assumed that the four fatalities were trapped in the sinking boat and were unable to free themselves in time.

According to the President of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, the "very serious incident" was caused by a "tornado". The 16-metre-long boat was hired by tourists, as Fontana announced in a post on Facebook.

However, it turns out that the storm was not the only factor. According to the "Corriere della Sera", only 15 passengers were actually allowed on the boat.

The authorities are still investigating.