One dead and six missing after British yacht sunk by freak tornado
Four Britons are believed to be missing after a £14 million sailboat sank off the coast of Palermo in Italy.
The freak incident happened in the early hours of the morning today after a sudden tornado hit the area, Italian media reports.
After the 160-foot boat sank due to bad weather, 15 people were rescued from the water by the coast guard and emergency services.
Seven people were missing after the incident at about 5am today – four Brits, one Canadian, and two Americans, according to Italian media.
Now a man’s body has reportedly been found at the shipwreck during the search, Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera reports, but his nationality has not been confirmed.
The cook on the yacht is among the missing while all the other missing people are believed to be passengers, Sky TG24 reports.
A baby girl, aged one, and her parents were pulled out of the water. The baby and her mother were reportedly taken to the Children’s Hospital of Palermo, while the dad was transported to another hospital, according to Ansa.
A massive search and rescue operation is underway.
Divers have reached the hull about 160 feet below the surface around half a mile from the coast near Porticello.
Most of the passengers are thought to be British, along with one New Zealander, a Sri Lankan and an Irish national, and two Anglo-French nationals, the outlet reports.
The vessel flew the English flag, Italian media reports.
A Foreign Office spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.’
The yacht is believed to be called Bayesian, and it costs £166,000 a week to rent, according to The Sun.
It reportedly set sail in 2008 after being built by Italian Perini Navi, and it can accommodate up to 12 guests and reach speeds of 15.5 knots, according to Superyacht Times.
The company managing the vessel, Camper and Nicholsons International, said it is currently ‘dealing with a situation onboard one of [their] managed vessels, but it declined to provide further details or confirm which vessel was affected, the BBC reports.
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