Body of husband of Italy’s family minister found in lake

The husband of Italian Minister for Family Affairs Eugenia Roccella has been found dead more than a month after he went missing in Lake Vico, north of Rome.

According to the authorities, the body of 84-year-old Luigi Cavallari was recovered from the lake on Tuesday morning.

Cavallari had jumped into the water from a small boat at the end of June and had not resurfaced. Emergency services had been searching for him ever since.

The 72-year-old minister was also on the boat at the time of the incident. Roccella said that a "period of agonizing waiting" had now come to an end for her. She thanked all the emergency services for searching for her "beloved Luigi."

A major search operation began following Cavallari's disappearance. A wide range of emergency services were deployed, and remotely operated underwater vehicles equipped with camera and sonar systems were used to systematically search the lake.

Nevertheless, the search for Cavallari lasted several weeks. Apparently, he drifted a long way from where he had jumped. The length of the search prompted some controversy on social media. This included accusations that the extensive search operation was disproportionate, and personal attacks on Roccella.

She is a member of the far-right Brothers of Italy party led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. As family minister, Roccella is a controversial figure due to her stance against same-sex marriage and abortion.