TWO Italian intelligence agents and an Israeli ex-spy were killed along with a Russian woman after their party boat was sunk by a “whirlwind”.

The tragedy struck when the 52ft pleasure boat Goduria capsized, tipping everyone on board into the choppy waters of Lake Maggiore on the border between Italy and Switzerland.

EPA

Israeli ex-spy Erez Shimoni was killed in the accident on Lake Maggiore[/caption]

Some 14 people managed to swim 150 yards to shore, and another five were rescued in a huge emergency operation.

Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari said that the bodies of four people were recovered.

Israel’s foreign ministry said one of the dead was Erez Shimoni, 50, a former member of the country’s security forces in his fifties.

Italian intelligence agents Claudio Alonzi, 62, and Tiziana Barnobi, 53, were also killed in the accident.

A spokesperson for the Italian security service said: “The two employees, belonging to the intelligence department, were taking part in a convivial meeting organised to celebrate the birthday of one of the group.”

The fourth victim was Anya Bozhkova, 50, the Russian partner of the boat’s owner and captain Claudio Carminati, 53.

It has been reported that other members of the Italian and Israeli intelligence agencies were on the boat.

The president of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, said Sunday that a “whirlwind” had caused the 16-metre (52-foot) boat to overturn.

Firefighters on Sunday said 19 people had survived the accident, with media reports suggesting some had been picked up by passing boats while others swam to shore.

The boat had been carrying both Italian and foreign tourists, and it sank quickly, taking one of the victims with it, according to reports.

A firefighters’ video showed a search and rescue helicopter flying over choppy waters, where chairs and other debris could be seen floating.

Bad weather hit the lake around 5pm local time but the boat continued on the pleasure cruise, reports say.

But around 7pm when it was capsized by a violent storm that developed into a “small hurricane.”

A witness told La Stampa: “Suddenly, the sky turned black, a very heavy rain broke out and you could see almost nothing from the shore, not even in front of the little bay of Piccaluga, from where I believe the boat left. “

Lake Maggiore, a popular tourist destination on the south side of the Alps, is the second-largest lake in Italy.

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Italian intelligence agents Claudio Alonzi and Erez Shimoni also died[/caption]