Sam Rigby, 22, tragically died in Lake Como

A young man sadly died while on holiday in Italy with his girlfriend.

Sam Rigby, 22, jumped into Lake Como when he saw that his partner, Olivia Greenall, had got into difficulty.

The pair had been sailing towards the town of Menaggio in the province of Como, Lombardy, northern Italy, when they stopped for a swim on July 17 last year

Olivia, 19, was rescued from the “cold, deep” water by a passing boat, but Sam got swept away, and his body was recovered hours later.

An inquest last week found Mr Rigby had entered the water after Ms Greenall “got into difficulty” when she left their motor hire boat for a swim.

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Coroner Julie Goulding said: “The water was cold, deep and had currents.

“Both Sam and his partner got into difficulty and were unable to extricate themselves from the water and back onto the boat.”

The couple shouted for help, and Ms Greenall was rescued by a passing boat, but Mr Rigby was said to have been swept away by the strong current.

An intensive search of the area was carried out by emergency services and Mr Rigby’s body was recovered from the water later that day.

Two helicopters and a team of divers were called to help with the search, The Liverpool Echo reports.

Ms Goulding handed down a conclusion of accidental death.

She said: “A comprehensive police investigation followed and subsequently the boat was released.

“Life rings had been available on the boat and it was in good working order.

“The police/carabinieri investigation found no culpability on the part of any persons.

“The boat was hired on a two-hour basis, and a bottle of wine and two cans of alcohol were found on the boat.

“The tragedy that unfolded on the lake led to the accidental death of Sam.”

In a tribute following Mr Rigby’s death, his former head teacher, Catherine Twist of St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School, said: “The thoughts and prayers of everyone at St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School go out to Sam and Liv’s families at this tragic time.

“Both students epitomised our school motto of living life in all its fullness.”