Divers find body of Leicestershire dad Aran Chada who drowned in Lake Garda trying to save son
The body of a "hero" dad from Leicestershire who drowned in Lake Garda after diving in to save his teenage son has been found.
Aran Chada, from Woodhouse Eaves, near Loughborough, was days into family holiday at Lake Garda, Italy when he slipped beneath the surface and drowned.
Tributes were previously paid to Mr Chada, 51, who went missing after going into the water on July 22.
The sales director was with his partner Holly Mosley, 39, daughter Floren, seven, and son Roman, 14, at the time.
Specialist diving teams launched a search and, almost a month on from the tragedy, his body has been recovered and brought back to shore, officials have confirmed.
In a statement, the Italian Coastguard said he was found on Tuesday, more than three weeks on, in 316m (1,036ft) of water, about 800m (2,624ft) from the shoreline and “more or less in the area” where he was last seen.
A Guardia Costiera spokesman said "the drowning… was probably caused by an illness following the rescue that Mr Chada had carried out on the first child, who was in danger".
The 51-year-old was found roughly 800 metres from the shore, at a depth of around 316 metres.
The statement said: "The release of the body was authorised and consequently the family of Mr Chada, currently in England, were informed to allow the identification of their relative which will… take place in the next few days at the hospital in Brescia."
Mr Chada, a sales director from Leicestershire, was reportedly on holiday with his partner and their children – a 14-year-old boy and a girl aged seven – and had been due to celebrate his birthday on Tuesday.
Speaking at the time of Mr Chada’s disappearance, neighbours in the village of Woodhouse Eaves, near Loughborough, spoke of their shock, with one man saying: "They have been part of the village for years. It is just very, very tragic."
Another man, who has known the family many years, said it was "heart-breaking".
The coastguard, in comments first reported in The Times, previously said Mr Chada may have suffered a thermal shock seizure.
Temperatures were around 38C but the water was “a good 10 degrees colder”.
Speaking at the time, coastguard commander Antonello Ragadale told the paper: "This man was a hero and we fear he drowned, but we’re doing everything we can to find his body."
According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Chada worked for Global Energy Ventures, a company that services oil fields in Africa.
Mr Ragadale added: "The father 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."
The Foreign Office said in a statement: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in North Italy and are in contact with the local authorities."