One person has been confirmed dead and six others missing after a luxury superyacht with 22 people on board sank off the Sicilian coast.
The 56-metre-long (184-ft) sailboat was identified as the British-registered Bayesian and sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise.
Italy’s coastguard and firefighters brought 15 people to safety on Monday after the 50-metre (164-foot) sailboat capsized at about 5am (03:00 GMT) due to rough winds and choppy waters caused by a waterspout.
The boat was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members. The missing people were of British, American and Canadian nationality, also a British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, the coastguard said.
A one-year-old girl was among those rescued, along with her mother. Eight people out of 15 rescued were hospitalised, and all 15 are in stable condition, according to Italian Government.
Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation to look into what transpired before and after the boat mishap.
A waterspout roughly resembles a mini-tornado over a body of water. It likely occurred as storms and heavy rainfall have hit Italy in recent days – with floods and landslides causing damage in the north – after weeks of scorching heat.
The sailboat which was identified as Bayesian, was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and was last refitted in 2020.
As gathered, the 16 years old ill-fated boat was managed by yachting company, Camper & Nicholsons, after being manufactured.
It won a string of awards for its design and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites.
The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Aug. 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of “at anchor”, according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.
A U.K. foreign ministry spokesperson said British officials were in contact with local authorities over the incident and were ready to provide consular support for Britons who were affected.
