Tributes have been paid to a Leicestershire man who is believed to have drowned in Lake Garda in Italy after diving in to save his teenage son.
Aran Chada, a 51-year-old sales director from Woodhouse Eves, is thought to have had a seizure when he leapt from a boat into the water, last Friday (July 22) in order to save his 14-year-old son.
Local media are reporting that the family had been on a rented boat, when Chada saw his son struggling in the water and jumped in to try to rescue him. He helped the boy back to the boat but then disappeared under the water, after not being able to find the strength to get himself back on the boat.
The coastguard believed that Chada, a sales director, may have suffered a thermal shock seizure. On Friday, temperatures were about 38C but the water was described as “a good 10 degrees colder”.
Tributes have been paid to the father-of-two, with many hailing him as “a hero.”
“This news will distress so many people. Aaron is a hero. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and all of his loved ones,” wrote one well-wisher online. “It is unimaginably tragic, heartbreakingly so.”
“Such a hero, so kind and caring and such a beautiful family. Thinking of you all,” added another.
Mr Chada’s body is yet to be recovered, however the Italian commander vowed rescue workers would continue to search for as long as it takes, to provide some comfort to the family.
“This man was a hero and we fear he drowned, but we’re doing everything we can to find his body,” he said.
“This is a real tragedy, and the desperation in their faces was evident. He did what any father would have done for his son”.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Italy and are in contact with the Italian police.”
