Garda Lake Bombs and Missiles Spark Navigation Ban and Safety Checks

An arsenal at the bottom of Garda Lake. The Port Inspectorate of Verona and Desenzano has issued two ordinances banning navigation and any surface activity, including fishing. The decision was made after divers from the Navy discovered hundreds of bombs abandoned by the Nazi-fascist forces during their retreat in spring 1945 between Punta Grò di Sirmione and the Peschiera shoreline.

In addition to these devices, six laser-guided missiles, dropped on April 16, 1999, from a malfunctioning Tornado returning from a mission in Kosovo, also rest on the lakebed of Benaco.

Interventions and safety assessments

“As of now,” explains Rinaldo Argentieri, Head of the Cabinet at the Brescia Prefecture, “the devices pose no danger to people. This allows for the organization of recovery operations while carefully evaluating all aspects of the case.”