German consul drowns in Costa Rican lake

Mario Gens, the German consul in Costa Rica, drowned on August 29 in Lake Rio Cuarto. The 53-year-old diplomat was on a boat while on vacation.

Initial reports suggest that his boat capsized and he fell into the water and drowned. The incident occurred on Lake Rio Cuarto, about 75 kilometers from the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose.

Gens was a professional swimmer and often visited the lake to swim and dive. Resort staff pulled the diplomat from the water.

After that, Red Cross medics and rescue workers tried to revive him for about 30 minutes, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Local media reported that Gens had been under water for about half an hour, but this information has not yet been officially confirmed.

The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry and the local resort administration where the diplomat was vacationing have called his death an accident. The exact cause of the incident is under investigation.

Rio Cuarto is the deepest lake in Costa Rica, reaching a depth of 66 meters. The lake, located in the province of Alajuela, was formed in the crater of an extinct volcano and is popular with nature lovers and kayakers.

In France, 131 people have drowned in the heatwave that has been ongoing since June 19. Most of the dead were minors under 18 and people over 60.