One dead, six missing after luxury yacht sinks off Sicily

Rescuers were on Monday searching for six people – including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch – who went missing after a luxury yacht was hit by a tornado and sank off the coast of Sicily, killing one of the 22 people on board.

The vessel was hit by the tornado at around 5 a.m. Monday, according to a spokesperson for Italy’s Coast Guard. The yacht was anchored about a half a mile from the port of Porticello on the Mediterranean island.

Four Britons and two Americans are among those missing, the spokesperson said. Eight of those rescued were transferred to local hospitals. All were in stable condition, local media reported. The captain of a nearby boat told Reuters that when the storm hit he turned the engine on to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian.

“We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” Karsten Borner told journalists.

He said that his crew then found some of the survivors on a life raft, including three who were seriously injured and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up. Borner said “a little baby and the wife of the owner” were among the survivors, while the owner of the sunken ship and another child were among those missing.

The coast guard said the boat had been found at a depth of 49 metres and that divers were inspecting the wreck. Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation to look into what had gone wrong.

A UK foreign ministry spokesperson said British officials were in contact with local authorities over the incident and were ready to provide consular support for Britons who were affected.

Source: eNCA

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