Thursday between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., several rescue missions had to be carried out in order to help 70 people and 13 boats in difficulty on Lake Geneva.
Thanks to the very good work of all the partners involved in the rescue on the lake, no one was injured.
Geneva cantonal police
A violent storm swept through the canton of Geneva on Thursday between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The navigation brigade police officers, supported by the boats of the International Society for the Rescue of Léman (SILS), were heavily involved during this episode: they came to the aid of 13 boats and 70 people, said a press release from the Geneva cantonal police. No injuries are to be deplored.
From the start of the storms, three boats from the Navigation Police Brigade (BNAV) were present on the lake, quickly joined by at least 8 SISL boats. First, help came to the aid of three boats and their occupants who were in difficulty in the harbor. On the first, three women were taken care of and brought back to dry land. On the second, six people were rescued. Concerning the 3rd boat, she and her five passengers managed to regain the bank, escorted by the BNAV. The latter then made sure that no rental boat was still offshore.
The BNAV then came to the aid of the 45 occupants of a Geneva Seagull in an unfortunate position in the middle of the harbor. Once the passengers were safely disembarked, rescue workers immediately headed for another Seagull in which a passenger was in the throes of a panic attack. Once the latter felt safe, the ship was able to return to its port when the storm was over.
“Very good collaboration”
Two boaters, meanwhile, fell from a sailboat. They managed to ignite a distress fire, allowing SISL and BNAV to quickly rescue them. Kayakers were also saved. Another sailboat was taken care of by the navigation brigade police. Its three occupants boarded a SISL boat. Finally, emergency services intervened off Hermance to help three occupants of another sailboat.
The police of the navigation brigade also noted having had to take charge of several drifting boats, without passengers and whose moorings had probably broken. Friday morning, the BNAV patrolled all of the township’s ports to ascertain the damage and also to secure boats potentially affected by the passage of the storm.
The press release underlines the professionalism and the very great mobilization capacity demonstrated by the SISL, as well as “the very good collaboration and coordination” between all the partners involved in the rescue on the lake, during 120 minutes of rare intensity.
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