At least one died, and six others were missing after a super luxury yacht sailboat capsized and sank off Sicily on Monday. According to authorities, the tragedy occurred due to bad weather. Around 15 people were rescued.
The British-flagged, 56-metre Bayesian had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers. The Italian coast guard said those onboard belonged to British, American and Canadian nationalities.
Seven people are missing after a UK-flagged yacht, understood to be carrying British tourists, sank off the Italian coast this morning.
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Emergency services descended on waters off the coast of Porticello in Sicily after the boat came into difficulty in the early hours of Monday… pic.twitter.com/bdmca3NuDh
Those rescued were taken to shore at Porticello and eight of the 15 rescued were hospitalised.
Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service, said one body was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for.
A helicopter and rescue boats from the Coast Guard, carabinieri, fire rescue and civil protection service were at the scene searching for the missing and had located the wreck at a depth of 50 meters.
The boat capsized around 5 am off the port of Porticello.
Deep-water divers were also involved in the search operation. They will be trying to enter the hull and search, said the Coast Guard.
Reportedly, through Sunday night and Monday morning, Sicily witnessed intense storms. The western half of the Mediterranean has seen frequent, severe storms since last week.
The yacht, built in 2008, was available for private charter. The yacht’s registered owner was a company based in the Isle of Man called Revtom Ltd, and Camper and Nicholsons International managed it.
The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said they are in contact with the Sicilian authorities. "We stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected," it added.
