One dead, six missing and fifteen survivors: a luxury super-sailing boat flying the British flag sank on the night of Sunday 18 August to Monday, near Palermo (Sicily), caught in a sudden storm, according to rescue services.
“This morning around 5 o'clock, following a violent storm, a 56-meter sailboat, named Bayesian and flying the British flag, sank off Porticello”a coastal town about 15 kilometers east of Palermo, the coast guard reported in a statement.
Twelve passengers and ten crew members were on board, the majority of whom were British, according to Italian media. Fifteen people were rescued and seven were initially reported missing, one crew member and six passengers, of British, American and Canadian nationality.
The body of one of the seven missing people was later found in the wreckage of the sailboat, a coastguard spokesman told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Eight castaways were taken to local hospitals. According to media reports, a baby was rescued with his mother.
“I saw it suddenly sink”
A search involving a helicopter, divers and coastguard vessels is underway around the wreck of the boat, which has been located at a depth of 50 metres. According to media reports, the sailboat was moored about 700 metres from the port of Porticello when it was hit by a waterspout, a rotating column of air and water, a phenomenon increasingly observed in Europe.
“I was at home when the tornado hit. I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very big. I saw it suddenly sink.”Pietro Asciutto, a fisherman from Porticello who witnessed the tragedy, told the ANSA news agency. “This boat was all lit up. Around 4:30 in the morning, it was gone. A beautiful boat where there had been a party. A normal holiday day spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy.”reported a witness, quoted by ANSA.
According to media reports, another yacht that was nearby helped provide assistance quickly while waiting for help to arrive. Photos posted on social media show a luxury yacht with a navy blue hull and a light wooden deck parked at night off the coast.
Bayesianthe sailboat that sank, was built in Tuscany in 2008 and restored in 2020, according to the TGCom 24 website. This type of sailboat has the aluminum main mast considered the largest in the world with a height of 75 meters. Its sails have an area of 3,000 square meters. An investigation has been opened, under the coordination of the Judicial Authority of Termini Imerese, in Sicily.
Source: Lemonde
