Seven people are missing after a sailboat believed to be carrying mainly British tourists capsized and sank off Sicily in a “tornado” early on Monday morning. Fifteen people were rescued from the 49-metre sailboat, but another seven were unaccounted for after the yacht capsized at around 5am off the coast of Palermo , the Italian fire rescue service. Italian media has reported four British tourists are believed to be among those still unaccounted for.
Two US tourists and one Canadian are also reportedly still missing. Locals said they feared the missing people were still trapped inside the hull of the boat. A mother and one year old baby were among those rescued and taken to hospital.
It has been reported the sailboat, which is believed to have been anchored at port when it capsized, was flying a British flag and had mostly British passengers on board, but also people from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland and British-French citizens. The region was hit by sudden bad weather in the early hours of the morning, with some describing the storm as a “tornado”. Owners of local restaurant BAIA Santa Nicolicchia speculated in a social media post that the seven missing people may still be trapped inside the boat.
“Unbelievable tragedy tonight,” the post from the restaurant account said on Facebook. “I’m out of words”. Fire and rescue spokesman Luca Cari said a helicopter and rescue boats from the coast guard and fire rescue service were at the scene searching for the m.