10-year-old girl vanishes in Lake Como after diving in prohibited swimming zone near Tempio Voltiano

The incident

A 10-year-old girl went missing in the waters of Lake Como on the afternoon of 21 July 2026. According to initial reconstructions, she was at the public gardens with her parents, both foreign nationals, when she dived into the lake and failed to resurface. The site is directly in front of the Tempio Voltiano, a well-known landmark in the city of Como.

The alarm was raised immediately, and police and fire brigade personnel arrived on the scene. The area is subject to a swimming ban, and multiple drowning incidents have been recorded there in the past.

Search operation underway

Two boats are currently in the water conducting the search, one belonging to the fire brigade and one to the Guardia di Finanza. They are assisted by divers from the Turin fire brigade command, who arrived on site shortly after the initial response. The search remains active as of late afternoon.

In acqua si trovano due imbarcazioni, una dei vigili del fuoco e una della guardia di finanza, aiutate dai sommozzatori del comando di Torino dei vigili del fuoco, arrivati poco fa.

A known hazard

Several reports note that the stretch of lake in front of the public gardens has a history of drowning episodes despite the official swimming prohibition. The exact number of past incidents was not specified, but multiple outlets described them as numerous.

La bambina si è tuffata senza più emergere in un punto in cui già in passato si sono registrati diversi episodi di annegamento nonostante il divieto di balneazione.

What is known about the child

All sources confirm the girl was 10 years old and was accompanied by her parents, who are described as foreign nationals. No further details about their country of origin or the child's identity have been released. The family was visiting the public gardens adjacent to the lake at the time of the incident.