German Tourist Drowns in Lake Garda During Vacation Incident

August begins with a tragedy on the lake: a fifty-year-old German tourist, vacationing on the Veneto shore of Lake Garda with his wife, drowned yesterday afternoon while swimming in front of a beach in Torri del Benaco.

Accident and rescue operations

The unfortunate tourist, Stefan Nikavak, was swimming about fifty meters from the shore when, perhaps due to a cramp or sudden illness, he began to gasp and wave for help.

His wife and other bathers raised the alarm, but in an instant, the man was swallowed by the waves and disappeared underwater.

Rescue attempts were futile, and subsequent search operations for the body were difficult, involving volunteers from Volontari del Garda from Salò (who intervened with a rubber boat and a motorized boat equipped with electronic underwater scanning) and the coast guard’s patrol boat.

Depth and search operations

At that point, moreover, the lake is at least seventy meters deep: divers from the Protezione Civile also submerged into the water but failed to locate the German’s body, which may already have settled on the bottom or been carried away by currents.

The search operations were suspended yesterday evening at sunset and will resume this morning.

Stefan Nikavak is the first bather to drown in Lake Garda this year.