Frantic hunt for ‘hero’ dad on Lake Garda
EX-NTU STUDENT FEARED DROWNED
A SEARCH is under way to find a “hero” dad who jumped into a lake to save his son.
Former Nottingham student Aran Chada, 51, from Leicestershire, was on holiday in Italy when the family decided to hire a boat on Lake Garda on Friday.
His teenage son got into difficulty while swimming in Italy’s largest lake and Mr Chada leapt in to save him.
He dragged the 14-year-old back to the boat where his mother pulled him aboard, but then the sales director struggled for breath and slipped beneath the surface, reports the Daily Mirror.
Mr Chada is a company director in the oil industry and lives with his family in a village near Loughborough.
He had been celebrating his birthday with his partner Holly Mosley, 39, his son and daughter.
A coastguard spokesperson said that the family had rented the boat for two and a half hours, and were due to return it shortly before the incident. The Sunday Times was told by a coastguard commander that it is possible the dad, who it is understood studied at Nottingham Trent University, suffered a “seizure” due to “thermal shock”.
They said that it was “very hot on Friday afternoon but the water was a good ten degrees colder”. Coastguard commander Antonello Ragadale told the paper that the rented boat was about 500m from the shore. Ms Mosley’s screams alerted other boats. A witness reported hearing a woman screaming and pointing into the lake. The coast
This man was a hero and we fear he drowned. He did what any father would have done for his son
Antonello Ragadale
guard and rescue team raced to the scene with divers and a helicopter.
Rescue efforts continued late into Friday night and resumed on Saturday.
It has been reported that a robot submarine was deployed to search the lake, which has a depth of 346m in some places. The family is said to be in a hotel, where they are being offered support from police and a psychologist.
Mr Ragadale said: “This man was a hero and we fear he drowned, but we’re doing everything we can to find his body. This is a real tragedy, and the desperation in their faces was evident. He did what any father would have done for his son.”