One person is dead and six are missing after a superyacht sinks off the coast of Sicily, according to reports. The boat was carrying mostly British passengers when a tornado hit.
A one-year-old English girl was among 15 people rescued after the 56-meter sailboat sank, according to the Italian daily newspaper Corriere Della Sera. The girl was taken to a children’s hospital with her mother, who received chest stitches for a minor graze.
The superyacht was anchored off the coast of Porticello in Palermo on the Italian island when the storm struck around 5 a.m. local time. Described as one of the largest superyachts in the world, the vessel had a crew of 10 and 12 passengers from Britain, America, and Canada, according to the Italian coast guard.
Italian news outlets reported that most of those on board were British, with others hailing from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, and some holding British-French citizenship.
Witnesses told the news outlet Giornale di Sicilia, that the vessel was still in anchor and in front of the Porticello port when the tornado struck.
One witness told the newspaper, “The boat was all lit up. At about 4.30am it was gone.
The body of a man was found near the vessel as divers searched for the missing. His nationality has not yet been confirmed.
Salvo Cocina, head of the Civil Protection of Sicily, reportedly told the newspaper that divers saw “corpses through the portholes” of the superyacht. Helicopters and rescue boats from the coast guard and fire rescue service were at the scene, continuing the search for the missing.
