Tuesday, August 20, 2024 A luxury superyacht carrying foreign tourists capsized and sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday during severe weather conditions, resulting in the death of one person and the disappearance of a prominent United Kingdom tycoon. The 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, named Bayesian, was caught in a sudden storm that developed overnight near the port of Porticello, close to Palermo. The yacht, which had 22 people on board, including 10 crew members and 12 passengers from the UK, the US, and Canada, overturned in the early hours before 5 a.
m. The Italian coast guard reported that 15 individuals were rescued, including a 1-year-old girl, while six others remain missing. The survivors were taken to shore, with eight of them hospitalized.
The storm, described as fierce, produced waterspouts that are believed to have played a significant role in the yacht’s demise. Despite the storm’s intensity, the skies had cleared, and the sea had calmed by Monday morning. The vessel, renowned for its towering 75-meter (246-feet) aluminum mast, had been anchored off the coast before being struck by the sudden weather event.
One survivor, a woman identified only as Charlotte, recounted the terrifying moment when she lost hold of her 1-year-old daughter, Sofia, in the water but managed to keep her afloat until they were rescued. Her account was shared by the Italian news agency ANSA, highlighting the harrowing conditions the passengers endured. Rescue teams,.