Overview
- The 79–84‑year‑old professor Luigi Cavallari went into the water from a small boat and did not resurface after a swim, and his wife, Minister Eugenia Roccella, immediately raised the alarm on Saturday.
- Searches have continued into a third day with fire brigade divers, carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza teams joined by police units and specialised equipment including underwater rovers, a submersible drone and surface drones.
- Teams say the lake’s volcanic profile produces very cold temperatures by modest depth, thick underwater vegetation and almost zero visibility, conditions that limit divers and complicate recovery efforts.
- Authorities are coordinating operations from a headquarters near the launch site while the minister remains at the family home awaiting updates and senior political figures have expressed solidarity with the family.
- Lake Vico has a history of similar fatal incidents, which helps explain the long, technology‑led search and the increasingly slim chances of finding Cavallari alive despite ongoing efforts.