Day at the lake turns into drama, mother and son missing, woman’s partner raises the alarm: the first hypotheses on what could have happened

The Riva del Garda Company reports that the search is ongoing but without success. The search is ongoing in the lake and nearby streams.

A woman and her son reportedly disappeared during a day spent cooling off in the lake. The alarm was raised in Riva del Garda, in Trentino. The complaint came from the woman’s partner, and the search was started shortly after, yesterday afternoon, Tuesday 16 July. There is still a big question mark over how the two could have disappeared near the lake, for a simple swim.

Hanna Shabratska, 56, had headed to the lake that morning by bus from Rovereto with her 19-year-old son Oleksiy. Both of Ukrainian origin, they have been living in Italy for two years. Hanna’s partner, Mauro Mariotti, reported their disappearance after a series of situations that quickly alarmed him.

The phones of the two were located in the Punta Lido area, also near the lake, where the researcheven in the water. CCTV cameras in the area confirm their presence on the lake. Today, Wednesday, in the morning, backpacks, towels and clothes of the missing were found. “It is an area with strong currents and temperature changes, where other swimmers have disappeared in the past,” explained a local lifeguard.

The search for the woman and her son, presumably missing in the waters of Lake Garda, continues to follow the hypothesis that they left from the beach of Punta Lido. Mauro Mariotti said: “Hanna and her son had gone to Riva for a day of leisure. I was waiting for them at the bus station late Tuesday afternoon, but they never arrived and were not answering the phone. I then alerted the Carabinieri.”

The Riva del Garda Company reports that the searches are still unsuccessful, up to now. Thelast photo sent by Hanna to Mauro via WhatsApp is dated July 16 at 11:17, and portrays her in front of a bougainvillea in Largo Posta. The man says: “After that photo, I didn’t receive anything else. I went to Riva to look for them, but without results. I continued looking until the following morning, when I found their clothes and cell phones in Punta Lido, near the Magnone stream”.

At the moment the Fire Brigade and divers from Trento are working, with the support of the Police, Carabinieri and Coast Guard, carrying out searches in the water, in a stretch where the lake reaches a depth of about 50 metersThe search, which began many hours ago, is still ongoing.

Mariotti shared a touching thought: “Hanna and Alex arrived in Rovereto in 2022, fleeing Ukraine after Russia’s aggression. […] It would be truly tragic if, after fleeing the war, they found death in the land that welcomed them.”