A July weekend marked by several water-related tragedies in Italy, while a historic sports anniversary is remembered.

THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF NADIA COMANECI'S PERFECT 10

On July 18, 1976, at the Montreal Olympics, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci achieved the first perfect score in the history of the discipline on the uneven bars. The electronic scoreboard was not programmed to register a 10 and displayed the result as 1.00. The event marks its fiftieth anniversary this year.

SESTRI LEVANTE: 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL DIES IN SWIMMING POOL

On Wednesday, July 16, Alice, an 11-year-old girl from Bergamo, became trapped by her hair in the suction drain of a swimming pool at the Segesta baths in Sestri Levante. The pool was small, approximately one meter deep, and had no lifeguard on duty. According to an initial reconstruction, the facility owner dove in to cut the girl's hair with a knife and bring her to the surface. The child was transported in critical condition to the Gaslini pediatric hospital in Genoa, where she died on July 17. The prosecutor's office opened a manslaughter investigation and two facility operators are under investigation. Authorities are verifying compliance with regional regulations prohibiting the use of swimming pools by unaccompanied minors under 12, and whether the required signage was present. The port authority of Santa Margherita Ligure confirmed the absence of the sign. The pool has been seized.

MILANO MARITTIMA: 4-YEAR-OLD GIRL DROWNS IN HOTEL POOL

On Saturday, July 18, in the early afternoon, a 4-year-old girl from an Austrian family drowned in the pool of the Hotel Continental in Milano Marittima, on the Ravenna coast. According to an initial reconstruction, the girl was with her father between the playroom and the pool area; the man had gone to the room and the child reportedly ended up in the water. The pool was reportedly closed to the public during the lunch break and therefore had no lifeguard on duty. The girl was taken to the Bufalini hospital in Cesena, where she died approximately two hours later. Carabinieri from the Cervia-Milano Marittima company, the investigative unit from Ravenna, and duty prosecutor Angela Scorza launched an investigation to clarify the circumstances, including the whereabouts of the mother and the lifeguard at the time of the incident. The mayor of Cervia, Mirko Boschetti, expressed condolences to the family. Minister for the Sea and Civil Protection Nello Musumeci stated that the bill on public and private pool safety, stalled in Parliament for about a year, will now follow an accelerated path with a goal of committee approval by the end of the month.

RIVER ADDA: MAN AND 4-YEAR-OLD NEPHEW BOTH DIE

On Saturday afternoon, July 18, in the locality of Golfo Rivolta, on the border between Rivolta d'Adda and Truccazzano, in the province of Milan, a 47-year-old man of Indian origin drowned in the River Adda while attempting to save his 4-year-old nephew. According to the reconstruction by firefighters and carabinieri, the child's father and uncle were already in the water when the boy reportedly jumped in and immediately showed difficulty staying afloat. The uncle moved toward the child to help but was overcome, possibly due to a sudden medical condition. The man's body was recovered by Milan firefighter divers. The child, transported by helicopter in critical condition to the hospital in Bergamo, died in the afternoon. The child's father, also the victim's brother, was present at the scene in a state of shock. The area where the incident occurred is particularly rugged and accessible to rescuers only on foot after a long walk, a circumstance that slowed operations.

LAKE GARDA: MAN MISSING AT SIRMIONE

Also on Saturday afternoon, July 18, in Sirmione, on the Brescia shore of Lake Garda, in the water area off Jamaica beach, a 29-year-old man dove in to rescue a child in difficulty. The minor was saved, but the man disappeared and did not resurface. Search operations, coordinated by firefighters, coast guard, 118 emergency personnel, and Venice command divers, with helicopter support, were still ongoing at the time of initial reports.

CONTEXT

The Sestri Levante and Milano Marittima incidents represent two pool drowning cases one day apart. According to data cited by some outlets, pool drownings in Italy since 2022 have exceeded 75 cases. A bill on public and private pool safety has been stalled in Parliament for approximately one year.