Divers have retrieved the remains of a heroic British father who perished while attempting to rescue his youngster by diving into an Italian lake.
Aran Chada, 51, intervened when Roman, 14, had trouble on a family vacation with Holly Mosley, 39, and Floren, seven.
They chartered a boat for the day on the gorgeous Lake Garda in northern Italy on July 22, only days after arriving for their vacation.
According to witnesses, Mr. Chada sprang into the water when Roman got into difficulties, and after forcing him back to the safety of the boat, he submerged in front of his family.
Coastguards and specialized dive teams pledged to continue looking for him, and after more than three weeks, they located his corpse at a depth of 316 metres on Tuesday evening.
A specialized underwater robot and sonar equipment were brought in for the operation, and Mr. Chada’s corpse was located around 800 meters off the coast and brought back by a coastguard vessel.
Partner Holly had sounded the alarm, and passing boats heard her cries for assistance and notified coastguard diving crews. During that week, he was the third person to perish in the lake. Since then, a second visitor has perished in Lake Garda, a renowned vacation spot where the water is often frigid and reaches depths of 350 meters.
Coastguard captain Antonio Ragadale told MailOnline, ‘It was a tough and arduous search, but we had promised to recover his corpse so he could be reunited with his family.
It was the least we could do considering how courageously he dove into the water when he spotted his kid in jeopardy.
The operation lasted over a month, and we searched day after day with a robot and sonar until we located him at a depth of 316 meters, which made it a very complicated operation.
“This man was a hero, and at last he may be reunited with his family; we had sworn to continue for their sake, and we have fulfilled our obligation.”
Mr. Chada, who was from Woodhouse Eaves in Loughborough, Leicestershire, was on vacation in Italy to celebrate his upcoming 52nd birthday when he drowned. His birthday was only days away.
Officials assume he died of hypothermia since the water temperature was much lower than the 38C air temperature reported on the day he died.
His family has been alerted, and relatives will go to Italy later this week to properly identify his remains.
Mr. Chada was a consultant for a property management business and a sales director for a company named Global Energy Ventures. Neighbors referred to him in tributes as a “bright person.”
Coastguard captain Antonio Ragadale told MailOnline, ‘It was the least we could do since he was so courageous in plunging into the lake to save his kid’