A 21-year-old Belgian student is under house arrest in the north of Italy after an accident at the weekend in which two boats collided, killing one Italian man (22).
Clea W., was at the helm of a speedboat carrying 12 Belgian tourists on Lake Como when it hit another boat, occupied by three Italian friends. The Belgian boat actually passed over the Italian, and Luca Fusi was hit.
Fusi died of his injuries, while his two companions escaped with slight injuries and shock.
The pilot of the Belgian boat – rented on location for the day but occupied by Belgians – was tested for alcohol on shore, and proved negative. In the meantime, she has been charged with manslaughter and shipwreck, and is being detained under house arrest in a nearby village, at a house owned by her stepfather, a Belgian lawyer.
The charges, Como prosecutor Antonia Pavan said, are a formality while the investigation continues, intended only to ensure she does not flee the jurisdiction.
In a similar but unrelated accident on Lake Garda investigation held recently, two German tourists who had been ordered to remain in the area had absconded back to Germany.
Clea, meanwhile, had been due to leave on Tuesday to travel to France to continue her holiday.
So far, the investigation has been able to rule out alcohol as well as excessive speed, although the fact the Belgian boat leapt over the Italian one might suggest it was travelling at high speed.
One theory is that Clea W. simply did not see the stationary boat because of the reflection of the sun on the water.
