Body of missing man found in Sete Cidades lake

The body of the 57-year-old man who had been missing since Thursday in the waters of the Sete Cidades lagoon, on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, has been found.

The commander of the Ponta Delgada Volunteer Fire Department, Nuno Barbosa, told Lusa news agency that the body was located by a diver and removed from the water. The body was then transported to the Ponta Delgada hospital morgue for an autopsy. Nuno Barbosa reported that the body was submerged "on top of a 'cushion' of seaweed."

The man was reported missing on Thursday after diving into the Sete Cidades lagoon, where he was with a group of friends.

The search involved teams of divers, drones used to monitor the banks, rescue motorcycles, a vessel with a probe to "sweep the bottom" of the lagoon, and a submersible drone from the University of the Azores (which is usually used for scientific research at sea).

The man, a resident of São Miguel Island, was there with a group of friends and disappeared while sailing on a boat commonly known as a “gaivota” and decided to go diving.

Users of the recreational boats available at the site "must wear a life jacket, which is mandatory," but "apparently, the gentleman took it off to go diving," he said.

According to the Sete Cidades Lagoon Basin Management Plan, “the bathing recreation area – beach, duly delimited and signposted, must be the only location where swimming and bathing are permitted.”