One person has been confirmed dead while a desperate hunt continues for six more people, including British and American tourists, after a freak storm sank a 180ft yacht off the coast of Sicily this morning.
Fifteen of the 22 people on board, including a one-year-old baby and its mother, were rescued by a nearby vessel after the boat capsized when a tornado hit the area off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, at around 5am.
The passengers were mainly British, according to reports, while citizens from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Canada, the US and two dual British and French nationals were also said to be on board.
The group are reported to have been tourists on holiday in Sicily, and it is feared that those missing may have been trapped inside their cabins.
The vessel has been named as the Bayesian – a luxury yacht which sails under the British flag and has the second tallest mast in the world.
A frantic search is underway at the site of the shipwreck after the Bayesian sank this morning
A local Facebook group shared a picture of the yacht (left) at anchor last night. The vessel has been named as the Bayesian, and is said to sail under a British flag
The group were staying on the vessel, which has been named as the Bayesian – a luxury yacht which sails under the British flag
The search area this morning off the coast of Porticello, Sicily
Nautical maps show the last known location of the Bayesian just after 2am local time, when it was at anchor
Emergency and rescue services work near the scene where a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday, off the coast of Porticello
A helicopter, coastguard vessels and firefighters have been deployed to search the scene of the wreck above and below water.
Expert divers have already reached the hull, 49 metres below the water and about half a mile from the coast, according to Italian media.
Nautical maps show the last known location of the Bayesian just after 2am local time, when it was at anchor.
The boat is thought to have arrived in Porticello after a stopping in Milazzo and sailing alongside of Cefalù.
The vessel was still at anchor near the port when the tornado struck, witnesses told Italian news agency ANSA.
With the anchor still down, the storm broke the mast, causing the vessel to lose its balance and capsize, according to reports.
The Italian Coastguard said in a statement that a nearby boat offered assistance to people before emergency services arrived.
The Sir Robert BP, a Dutch sailing ship which had been anchored by the Bayesian, is believed to have rescued the 15 survivors.
A local Facebook page shared a picture of the two yachts at anchor last night, just hours before the high winds hit.
‘That boat was all lit up,’ a man in Porticello told ANSA. ‘At around 4.30 in the morning it was gone. A beautiful boat where there had been a party. A normal holiday spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy.
‘The boat was not far from the port. It took very little to raise the anchor and head for the port. Evidently they were surprised by the storm that suddenly hit and they were unable to avoid sinking.’
Emergency response teams are seen at the harbour near where the boat sank this morning
A helicopter, coastguard vessels and firefighters have been deployed to search the scene
Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman who spotted the shipwrecked boat off the coast, said he called for help at 4.30 this morning.
‘At about 3.55 we saw the whirlwind. After a quarter of an hour we saw a rocket 500 meters away from the dock. At about 4.35 we went out to sea to provide assistance, but we only saw the remains of the boat floating. There were no men in the sea. So we immediately called the port authority’, he said, according to The Times.
The vessel can accommodate 12 passengers and 10 crewmembers.
The only crewmember among the missing is said to be the cook, with those still unaccounted for including four British, two American and one Canadian citizen, RAI reports. The nationality of the deceased man is not known.
Coast guards patrol boats and firefighters brought those who were rescued to shore, and the survivors will be interviewed by authorities in the coming hours.
Eight of those who were rescued are receiving treatment in hospital, the Italian Coastguard said.
Among them is the boat’s captain, who reportedly managed to save himself and is said to be very upset by the incident.
The baby who was rescued is reported to be a one-year-old English girl.
She was pulled from the sea by a firefighter, Corriere reports, before being rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Palermo.
She arrived there with her mother and both are said to be fine, with the woman sustaining only minor injuries and the child undergoing tests only as a precaution.
The ship they were staying on is managed by Camper and Nicholsons International.
A spokesperson told the BBC that they are currently ‘dealing with a situation onboard one of [their] managed vessels’, but would not give any further details.
The 180ft yacht has a gross tonnage of 473 tons, and was built by the Perini Navi Viareggio shipyard in February 2008 before being refitted in 2020.
The deck area is 436 square metres and the six cabins occupy an area of 143 square metres.
It comprises of an aluminum hull, and is powered by two large engines, allowing it to cruise at 12 knots and reach a maximum speed of 15 knots.
The boat has the second tallest mast in the world and the largest aluminum mast of 75 metres.
Sicily is currently under a weather warning for wind, with video showing strong gusts battering the coast this morning.
CCTV footage from around 4am this morning shows a torrent of wind and rain slamming into Santa Nicolicchia – an area of Porticello where Bayesian was anchored.
The high winds throw umbrellas, plant pots, tables and chairs flying within seconds of hitting, with the local restaurant who shared the footage saying: ‘In a moment the hurricane took everything away!’
The owners of Baia Santa Nicolicchia said they were able to open later in the morning once the storm had passed, but added: ‘We have no memory of anything like this in our area.’
Shadow Foreign Minister for Europe, Alicia Kearns, wrote on X: ‘Desperately sorry to hear of the capsizing of the Bayesian – a heartbreaking incident.
‘My thoughts are with all the families of those lost at sea, and those recovering following the rescue operation, I’m sure the foreign office will be providing consular support to British Nationals and their families.’
The Foreign Office said in a statement: ‘We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.’