One person has died and six others are reported missing after a luxury superyacht was capsized by a tornado off the coast of Sicily early Monday morning (August 19), the Italian Coast Guard spokesman confirmed to CNN.
The tornado struck the 56-meter yacht Bayesian at around 5:00 a.m. local time, when the vessel was anchored about half a mile from the port of Porticello. Fifteen people, including the ship’s captain, were rescued from the scene and a child was reportedly flown by helicopter to a children’s hospital in Palermo.
The Bayesian was flying the British flag as it consisted mainly of British passengers and crew, as well as two Anglo-French, a New Zealander, an Irishman and a Sri Lankan, the spokesman said. The six missing people were reportedly four Britons, two Americans and a Canadian passenger. the guardian.
There were 22 people on the boat at the time of the accident, including 12 passengers and 10 crew members. The Italian Fire Service said in a press statement that its divers reached the yacht’s hull, which was 160 feet below sea level, and dispatched helicopters to further assist in the ongoing search for the sunken vessel and its passengers. CNN.
