Silvano Loia, manager of Rai Way, drowned on the Viterbo coast

Silvano Loia, 52 years old, manager of Rai Way and partner of the actress Francesca Neri, drowned in the sea between Tarquinia and Montalto di Castro, on the Viterbo coast road.

What happened

The tragedy occurred yesterday in Montalto di Castro, near the Sant'Agostino reserve, an agricultural estate overlooking the sea. The man's friends raised the alarm, worried because after a couple of hours they didn't see him return.

At that point the rescue machine started moving and what might have seemed like a simple delay for a long walk on the shore, turned into the search for a missing man, with the fire brigade and captain's boats and a helicopter searching the area inch by inch.

Then at 7pm, a short distance from where he had left, the tragic discovery: the lifeless body of the Rai Way manager was spotted a few meters deep near the shore in front of the estate. The most reliable theory regarding Loia's death at the moment is that of illness, but it is still not clear whether during the walk he entered the water to go for a swim or if he felt ill on the shore and the body was then dragged into the water by the current.

The body was returned to the family and is currently in the municipal morgue of Montalto di Castro, awaiting transport to Rome for the funeral. Meanwhile, messages of sorrow for the tragic death of the manager continue.

The pain of friends on social media

On social media the memories of friends: "It was the summer of '91 the last time we were all together - writes Donato -. Since then we have seen each other a few times, but like all youthful adventures, the school one remains the most beautiful and the most intense, the one you always carry inside you. How many memories re-emerge today, volcanically driven by the emotion of having discovered that Silvano has become the first in the class to no longer be able to respond to WhatsApp messages".

And again: "Hi Silvano, I hope you receive our greetings and all those emotions and memories of those splendid and above all carefree years, a period in which we certainly never imagined that a day like this existed". And the Municipality of Montalto di Castro also expressed condolences for the passing of Loia and a 55-year-old woman who also died yesterday due to an illness on the beach. "It was a dramatic day for our country - we read in a post published on social media profiles - On behalf of the entire Administration we express heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims".

Rai's condolences

"The Board of Directors of Rai and the CEO Giampaolo Rossi express their deepest condolences for the tragic death - we read in a note released by the company's top management - They extend a thought of particular closeness to Loia's partner, Francesca Neri, and to the family, participating with sincere emotion in this moment of great pain".