Tributes have been paid to a British man who is believed to have drowned in Lake Garda in Italy after diving in to rescue his son.
Aran Chada, a 51-year-old sales director from Leicestershire, is thought to have had a seizure when he leaped from a boat into the water.
Chada was reportedly on holiday with his partner, Holly Mosley, 39, their 14-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter.
The family had been on a rented boat last Friday 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.
Neighbours in the village of Woodhouse Eaves, near Loughborough, spoke on Monday of their shock at hearing the news.
Jon Lowe, an electrician, told the Daily Mail: “Aran was a brilliant guy, always fun to be around. He was the best neighbour we could ask for.
“He always had a ready smile. We have been neighbours for 12 years and in all that time they have been such a kind family – they always stop for a word or a chat with you if you saw them in the village.
“This is such a shock, especially as he has always been such a fit lad. He was often at the gym and enjoyed keeping fit.”
Another man, who declined to give his name, said: “They have been part of the village for years. It is just very, very tragic.”
The coastguard believed that Chada may have suffered a thermal shock seizure. On Friday, temperatures were about 38C but the water was described as “a good 10 degrees colder”.
Antonello Ragadale, the coastguard commander, told the Times: “This man was a hero and we fear he drowned, but we are doing everything we can to find his body.
“Divers arrived with the helicopters but could do little because a steep, rocky shelf descends to a great depth at that point.
“A civil protection agency remote control mini-sub was sent down and searched for the man until late into the night, but to no avail.”
Ragadale added that Chada was “very brave in what he did”.
“He saw his child in danger and he did what any parent would do and tried to save them, which he did,” he said.
The Foreign Office said in a statement: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Italy and are in contact with the Italian police.”
