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Divers find body of Leicestershire man who drowned in Italy after saving son

<span>Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock</span>
Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

The body of a British man who drowned after diving into Lake Garda in Italy to save his son has been found.

Aran Chada, 51, is believed to have experienced a sudden illness after jumping from a boat into the northern Italian lake when his 14-year-old son got into difficulty in the water.

The incident happened on 22 July off the resort town of Limone, where Chada, a sales director from Leicestershire, had been on holiday with his family.

His body was recovered by Lake Garda volunteers and identified on Tuesday, according to Italian media reports. His family have been informed.

Chada’s body was found about 800 metres from the lakeside, at a depth of 316 metres, in an area established by Lake Garda’s coastguard, which coordinated the search.

Chada, described as a “hero” by the coastguard commander Antonello Ragadale, was in Limone with his partner, Holly Mosley, as well as his son and daughter when the family rented the boat. He had been due to celebrate his 52nd birthday a few days later.

The alarm was immediately raised by Mosley, who reportedly told rescuers that Chada had saved his son and then “disappeared” near the boat.

The coastguard said at the time that Chada may have had a thermal shock seizure. The outside temperature that day had been about 38C (100F), with the water about 10 degrees cooler.

A witness who had been on a boat nearby told the local press: “The mother shouted and the father jumped into the water.”

Chada’s family, who were provided with psychological support by Italian authorities, went back to the UK a few days ago, Italian media reported, and were expected to return soon to identify his body.