At least one person was killed and six people were missing after a luxury yacht was struck by a whirlwind and sank off the coast of the Sicilian capital Palermo, Italian media reported. "One body was located in the wreck but not yet recovered, at a depth of around 50 metres," a coast guard spokesman told reporters. Italy's fire brigade and coast guard had earlier said divers were searching for seven missing people.
The 56-metre-long luxury sailboat, which was British registered, sank with 22 people on board when it was hit by a violent storm at sunrise, the coast guard said in a statement. It said one crew member and six passengers were missing, adding they were of British, American and Canadian nationality. Eight of those rescued, including a one-year-old child, were transferred to local hospitals and were all in a stable condition, local media reported.
The coast guard named the yacht as the "Bayesian", which was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008. The luxury ship has an aluminium hull, can reach a maximum speed of 15 knots and can carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to specialist online yacht sites. The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor", according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.
(Agencies).