One person is feared dead and six more are missing after a British-flagged luxury superyacht carrying foreign tourists sank in a whirlwind and rough seas off the coast of Sicily.
Four Britons are reportedly among the missing while a further 15 people, including a child, have been rescued after the sailboat with 22 people on board sank in the early hours of Monday near the Sicilian capital Palermo.
The 56-metre (184-foot) “Bayesian”, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, representing British, American and Canadian nationalities, the Italian coast guard said, when it capsized at around 5am off the port of Porticello.
Fifteen people were rescued initially and taken to shore at Porticello, where eight were in the hospital. One body was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for, said Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service.
A helicopter and rescue boats from the coastguard, carabinieri, fire rescue and civil protection service have been at the scene searching for the missing and had located the wreck at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet).
Those who had not been rescued included one member of the crew and six passengers, the coast guard said.
The 15 people rescued are all in stable condition, news agency Adnkronos reported
The Independent has contacted the British foreign ministry for comment.
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Key Points
In pictures: British-flagged yacht with 22 people on board sinks in early hours
10:23 , Tara Cobham
Full story: One dead and six missing after British yacht sinks off Sicily in storm
10:20 , Tara Cobham
One person is dead and six people are missing after a luxury British yacht sank in a “tornado” and rough seas off the coast of Sicily.
A 50-metre sailboat with 22 people on board sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of the Sicilian capital Palermo, with four Britons among the seven missing, Italian media outlets reported.
The person who was found dead was discovered by a diver this morning but their nationality or gender has not been confirmed, Sky Italia reports.
My colleague Rachel Hagan reports:
Seven missing and 15 rescued after British yacht sinks off Sicily in storm
Coastguard searches for missing after British-flagged yacht capsizes in tornado off Italy
10:18 , Tara Cobham
Searches for missing after British-flagged yacht capsizes off Italy
One dead and 6 missing after luxury superyacht sinks in storm off Sicily, authorities say
10:18 , Tara Cobham
A luxury superyacht sailboat carrying foreign tourists capsized and sank off Sicily in bad weather early Monday. One body was found, six people were missing and 15 people were rescued, authorities said.
The British-flagged, 56-meter (184-foot) “Bayesian” had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, representing British, American and Canadian nationalities, the Italian coast guard said.
Fifteen people were rescued initially and taken to shore at Porticello, where eight were in the hospital. One body was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for, said Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service.
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 (163 feet). The boat capsized around 5 a.m. off the port of Porticello.
Experienced deep-water divers were arriving at the scene to try to enter the hull, he said. Those who hadn’t been rescued included one member of the crew and six passengers, the coast guard said.
Local media said a fierce storm, including water spouts, had battered the area overnight but skies were clear and seas calm by Monday morning.
The ANSA news agency said the yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, had been moored off the port at Porticello.
