A 10-year-old girl drowned in Sardinia after the small sailboat she was taking a lesson on capsized. The tragedy occurred yesterday afternoon, Thursday 8 August, in the waters of the port of Arbatax, in Ogliastra. The victim’s name was Anna Laura Pilia: she was originally from Tortolì, in the province of Nuoro.
After falling into the sea, she was recovered unconscious by Coast Guard rescuers and taken to the dock, where 118 doctors attempted to revive her, but there was nothing they could do. The helicopter rescue also arrived on the scene, but by then the little girl was dead.
The little girl was the daughter of Bruno Pilia, former head of Radiology at the Nostra Signora della Mercede hospital in Lanusei and former president of the Province of Ogliastra. Her brother Gianluca, 16, already boasts several victories in sailing.
Anna Laura was taking part in a sailing lesson organised by the Circolo Nautico di Arbatax. At a certain point the single-sail motorboat she was on capsized and the little girl fell into the water, drowning despite wearing a life jacket.
The instructor intervened immediately and tried to save her but was unable to. It is assumed that, in falling, she hit her head on the boat or that she got stuck in a rope that prevented her from returning to the surface. The Lanusei Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident and has ordered an autopsy.
The mayor of Tortolì has cancelled all events and a day of mourning has been declared for the day of the funeral: Anna Laura would have been in fifth grade in September.
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