1 dead, 6 missing after storm sinks luxury superyacht off Sicily
Global News
A Canadian is among those missing, as well as two Americans and four Britons.
One person is dead and six others missing after a luxury superyacht was struck by a violent storm off the coast of Sicily on Monday, officials confirmed.
The vessel, a 56-metre-long British-flagged sailboat named “Bayesian,” went down off the Sicilian capital Palermo with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, the Italian coast guard said in a statement.
One Canadian is among those missing, as well as two Americans and four Britons.
A teen and a one-year-old were among those rescued and taken to shore. Eight people were taken to hospital. The boat’s passengers consisted of 10 crew members and 12 foreign tourists.
One body was found near the wreck, said Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service.
A helicopter and rescue boats from the coast guard, Carabinieri, fire rescue and civil protection service were all at the scene searching for the missing and had located the wreck at a depth of 50 metres, reports The Associated Press.
Local media said a fierce storm, including water spouts, had battered the area overnight but skies were clear and seas calm by Monday morning.
“The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude,” a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters.
