Rome, Aug 19 (EFE).- One person has died and six are missing after a luxury sailboat with 22 people on board sank Monday off the coast of the southern Italian island of Sicily, according to local media reports.
The incident occurred around 5 am when the 50-meter superyacht, carrying 22 people, including 10 crew members, capsized and sank off the coast of Porticello town, near the city of Palermo.
Divers have recovered the body of one person, reportedly a crew member of Canadian nationality, from the yacht’s hull at a depth of about 49 meters.
The search was ongoing for the remaining six people, who may have been trapped in the yacht’s cabins. The missing are British and American tourists, and include British tech tycoon Mike Lynch.
His wife, Angela Bacares, was one of the 15 survivors rescued by the Italian Coast Guard.
Most of the survivors are British nationals, but they also include a New Zealander, an Irish national, and a Sri Lankan, according to a statement from the authorities.
Among the survivors, a mother and her one-year-old daughter were taken to the Children’s Hospital in Palermo for medical evaluations, while the father and six others were admitted to various hospitals on the island.
Witnesses reported that the sailboat, named Bayesian and flying a British flag, was anchored off Porticello when a storm hit the area, breaking the main mast and causing the vessel to capsize and sink.
The Coast Guard has deployed patrol boats and helicopters to search for the missing people, with further reinforcements expected from Naples and Rome. EFE
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