Safety · Viterbo
Italian divers battle near-zero visibility in search for minister's husband missing in Lake Vico
Luigi Cavallari, 84, disappeared after diving into Lake Vico on Saturday afternoon. Rescuers with specialist equipment have been searching continuously for over 24 hours, hampered by extremely poor underwater visibility.
AI text based on reports by Corriere della Sera, Fanpage, Il Fatto Quotidiano and other publishers. Changed . How it is made
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In brief
Luigi Cavallari, 84, dived from a boat on Lake Vico on 27 June, resurfaced briefly feeling unwell, then sank and did not resurface.
Underwater visibility is described as near zero at the surface, worsening with depth. Specialist divers and ROVs are being used.
Authorities suspect the sudden change from hot weather to cold lake water may have triggered a cardiovascular reaction.
Prime Minister Meloni and other politicians have expressed closeness to Family Minister Eugenia Roccella.
- 28 JunOvernight: Naples specialist divers arrive on scene
- 28 JunFlorence specialist divers arrive with ROVs, sonar and thermal cameras
- 28 JunFlorence units conclude intervention; Guardia di Finanza divers team expected
What happened
On the afternoon of Saturday 27 June, Luigi Cavallari, 84, dived into Lake Vico from a small boat where he was with his wife, Italian Family Minister Eugenia Roccella. After briefly resurfacing and saying he felt unwell, he vanished beneath the water. The minister herself raised the alarm around 17:00.
Search operations
Rome fire brigade divers arrived immediately. During the night, specialist teams from Naples joined, and at about 06:00 on 28 June divers from Florence deployed remotely operated vehicles, sonar and thermal cameras. The search has been uninterrupted. The Florence teams concluded their mission around 10:30, while a Guardia di Finanza divers' unit was expected to reinforce the effort.
“The search is particularly complex because of the setting: visibility is already very low at the water's surface, and the deeper you go the more it drops, approaching zero.”
Conditions
Vice prefect Andrea Nino Caputo described the lake's visibility as "near zero" already at the surface and said temperatures drop rapidly with depth. Thermal shock is suspected as a possible cause of Cavallari's distress, given the sudden transition from the afternoon heat to cold water. Teams are using both divers and instrumentation to try to locate him.
Reactions
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her closeness to minister Roccella in what she called "painful hours". Political forces across the spectrum have sent messages of solidarity. Cavallari, an engineer, was well known in the family's circle.
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Sources and context
- Corriere della SeraChoc termico: che cos'è, sintomi, come si previene
- FanpageLuigi Cavallari disperso nel lago di Vico, Caputo: "Ricerca complessa, visibilità vicina allo zero
- Il Fatto QuotidianoLuigi Cavallari disperso al lago di Vico il prefetto: "Poca visibilità, ricerche complesse"
- AGILago di Vico, proseguono le ricerche del marito della Roccella
- Luigi Cavallari
- Italian engineer, husband of Family Minister Eugenia Roccella, missing in Lake Vico
- Eugenia Roccella
- Italian Minister for Family, Birthrate and Equal Opportunities
- Andrea Nino Caputo
- Vice prefect of Viterbo, coordinating search operations at Lake Vico
- Giorgia Meloni
- Italian Prime Minister, expressed closeness to minister Roccella
- Places
- Rome
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