HORROR STORM
Body of fourth victim pulled from Italian lake after boat carrying Brit tourists celebrating birthday overturns in storm
THE body of the fourth victim was recovered from an Italian lake after a party boat carrying British tourists celebrating a birthday capsized.
The tragedy struck when the 52ft vessel was sunk by a sudden "whirlwind", tipping everyone on board into the choppy waters of Lake Maggiore on the border between Italy and Switzerland.
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Some 14 people managed to swim 150 yards to shore, and another five were rescued in a huge emergency operation.
By the early hours, rescuers had recovered two bodies and the search was continuing through the night for two missing passengers.
Two more bodies were discovered by divers this morning bringing the total number of dead to four, Fire Brigade spokesman Luca Cari confirmed.
Local media report the victims are two men and two women.
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One of the victims was identified as Russian 50- year-old Anya Bozhkova, the wife of the boat's owner Claudio Carminati.
The other three victims were all tourists- Italians Claudio Alonzi , 62, Tiziana Barnobi, 53, and an Israeli man.
The president of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, said a whirlwind had caused the 52-foot long boat to overturn.
said there were two crew and 23 tourists on the boat - believed to be a mix of Italian, British, and Israeli.
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Bad weather hit the lake around 5pm local time but the boat continued on the pleasure cruise, reports say.
But around 7pm when it was capsized by a violent storm that developed into a "small hurricane."
A witness told : "Suddenly, the sky turned black, a very heavy rain broke out and you could see almost nothing from the shore, not even in front of the little bay of Piccaluga, from where I believe the boat left. "
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Seven ambulances, specialist firemen, divers, the coast guard and an air ambulance attended the scene after a passenger in another boat sounded the alarm.
Video shared by firefighters showed a helicopter flying over choppy waters, with debris including chairs floating on the lake.
The Foreign Office said: "We are in contact with local authorities in Italy after a boat accident and are ready to provide consular assistance to any British nationals involved."
Lake Maggiore, on the southern edge of the Alps, is the second-largest lake in Italy and a popular destination for British tourists.
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