Ravenna, August 10, 2026 – There is a story within the story, inside the tragedy that at dawn on July 20 cost the life of Vasile Enachi, the 44-year-old bodyguard who drowned in the sea of Milano Marittima after a dive with four friends, of whom three were women.
And it is a story that now the Cervia Harbor Master’s Office wants to close with a name and a face: that of the passing angel who, just as Enachi was fighting for his life, risked his own to save a girl.
A man about 30-35 years old, that morning, was jogging on the pier next to the Kalumet restaurant. He heard screams coming from the beach, realized someone was in trouble, and turned back. He ran towards the shoreline, left his clothes on the sand, and dived in. Ahead of him was a sea that in those minutes was becoming increasingly treacherous.
What happened on the night of July 20
The footage obtained by the Harbor Master’s Office tells those moments. The man reaches one of the three girls who ended up in the water and, when she is exhausted, manages to drag her to shore. A rescue that lasted perhaps five minutes. Five minutes that, in those conditions, seem endless. Then he returns to the beach. He is exhausted too. He puts his clothes back on, walks with difficulty, and for a few moments runs his hands through his hair. As if only then he realized how much he had risked. Then he walks away. And from that moment no one knows anything more about him.
The tragedy, meanwhile, had already occurred. It was about 5 a.m. when Enachi and the four friends entered the water, after an evening spent together and a few hours also spent in the clubs of Cesenatico. The sea initially appeared calm, but the wind was increasing and a storm was approaching from the north. In that stretch of coast, conditions were rapidly worsening. When one of the friends noticed that Enachi did not resurface, the alarm was raised. Two managed to save themselves. One of the girls was brought ashore by friends. The other was in greater danger and was reached precisely by the young man who was jogging on the pier.
Rescue efforts were in vain that morning
Also the rescue teams moved in those frantic minutes. Some fishermen, hearing the screams, left the Cervia canal port with a fishing boat. Initially, they thought someone had fallen into the water right in the canal. Then they realized that the calls for help were instead coming from the beach side. They moored the fishing boat and reached the indicated stretch of sea. One fisherman even entered the water to search for the missing person.
But there was nothing more to be done for Enachi. His body was recovered and the 118 paramedics tried for a long time to resuscitate him, without success. The autopsy confirmed death by drowning. The Prosecutor’s Office had opened a file to allow technical investigations, then the investigation was closed as natural death.
Now Cervia is looking for its angel
Now, however, there remains that other story. That of the man who saved a life and whom no one, so far, has been able to identify. The Harbor Master’s Office has the footage and is trying to identify him. The Municipality of Cervia also wants to trace him to thank and reward him. Because that morning, while a tragedy was unfolding just a few meters away, he heard screams, left everything, and jumped into the sea. Now Cervia is looking for its angel. And perhaps it is especially the girl to whom, with that gesture, he saved her life who is looking for him.
