Overview
- The 84-year-old husband of Families Minister Eugenia Roccella, Luigi Cavallari, jumped from a small boat and disappeared after surfacing briefly and saying he felt unwell on Saturday.
- A large, multi-agency search has been under way since the call for help that day with firefighters, dive teams and rescue specialists using remotely operated vehicles equipped with cameras and sonar to systematically scan the lake.
- Officials say search conditions are especially hard because visibility falls to nearly zero below the surface and dense underwater vegetation and steep temperature drops complicate sonar and diver work.
- Reports cite medical experts who suggest a sudden cold-water shock could explain why Cavallari went into distress after entering the volcanic lake, but authorities have not confirmed a cause and the investigation continues.
- Minister Roccella is waiting near Viterbo with her children and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has publicly condemned hateful social-media attacks against the family as rescue teams continue recovery efforts.