The Briton had rented a boat with his family and was sailing near Limone, a town on the western shore of Lake Garda in Italy. The man noticed how his son, who was swimming, had gotten into trouble and did not hesitate for a second. He jumped into the water and managed to push the teenager back to the boat, where the boy was pulled aboard by his mother and his 5-year-old sister.
However, when the mother of the family turned around, her husband was nowhere to be seen. A search has turned up nothing so far.
Rescuers fear the man may have died from a thermal shock. “It was very warm on Friday afternoon, but the water was 10 degrees colder,” the Coast Guard said.