Body of missing German father found in Lake Como

The body of a German father who disappeared in Lake Como in northern Italy earlier this week was found on Saturday.

The 55-year-old had jumped from a boat into the water to help save his children on Monday.

Despite bad weather over the weekend, rescue teams were deployed almost continuously for six days to find the man, who hailed from the town of Bühl in Germany's south-western Baden-Württemberg region.

His corpse was found at a depth of 220 metres with the help of a remote-controlled underwater vehicle, which lifted the body to a depth reachable by divers.

Located some 80 kilometres north of Milan, Lake Como is one of the deepest lakes in Europe, with depths in places exceeding 400 metres.

The man was visiting the lake with his wife and two children in a rented boat on Monday when the accident occurred.

Near the village of Dorio, on the eastern shore of the lake, about 80 kilometres north of Milan, the children fell into the water for unknown reasons.

The father jumped in after them to help. While the children were rescued, he did not resurface. It is suspected that he was caught by a current.

The search was hampered by heavy rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds hitting the Lombardy region since Thursday.

The man is said to have had Italian roots and was widely known in his home town of Bühl as a restaurateur.

Bühl is located in the west of the state of Baden-Württemberg between the Rhine plain, vineyards and the Black Forest. About 30,000 people live in the town.

The case was reminiscent of a similar accident on Lake Como in July 2024, when a 51-year-old German died after trying to help his son.

The boy survived, but his father was later found at a depth of more than 200 metres.