Six tourists go missing, crew member killed as superyacht sinks during storm near Sicily’s coast.

August 19, 2024 TruthUSA

15 people, including a child, were rescued after the boat, identified as the British-flagged Bayesian, hit rough seas and capsized at daybreak.

A crewman has died and six tourists are missing after a superyacht sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Sicily in southern Italy.

Italian media outlets reported 15 people, including a child, were rescued by the coast guard and firefighters after the boat, identified as the British-flagged Bayesian, hit rough seas and capsized at daybreak.

Luca Cari, a spokesman for Italy’s fire rescue service, the Vigili Del Fuoco, said a helicopter and several coast guard boats were at the scene, searching for the missing.

He said divers had already located the wreck of the sailboat.

A local news agency, Adnkronos, said the 184-foot boat was carrying 22 people, mainly British tourists as well as two Anglo-French citizens, an Irish national, a Sri Lankan and a New Zealander.

The coast guard issued a statement saying passengers on the boat were British, U.S. and Canadian nationals.

British MP ‘Desperately Sorry’

A British MP, Alicia Kearns, wrote on social media platform X: “Desperately sorry to hear of the capsizing of the Bayesian, a heartbreaking incident.”

“My thoughts are with all the families of those lost at sea, and those recovering following the rescue operation, I’m sure the foreign office will be providing consular support to British nationals and their families,” she added.

Eight of the 15 people who were pulled from the sea, including a one-year-old child, were taken to hospital and are in a stable condition.

The ANSA news agency said the Bayesian had been moored in the port of Porticello and had set sail on Sunday evening.

It sank just a half a mile off the coast.

The Giornale di Sicilia newspaper said a body, believed to be a crewman, was recovered from the wreck on Monday but six remain missing.

Local media said a storm hit the north coast of Sicily overnight, and there were also reports of whirlwinds and water spouts, which can be fatal for sailboats.

According to the tracking app Vesselfinder, the Bayesian left the port of Milazzo, near Messina in eastern Sicily, on August 14 and was east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of “at anchor.”

The Bayesian was built in Italy in 2008 and was delivered to her owner. The boat’s home port is London.

Super Yacht Times said of it: “The Bayesian can accommodate up to 12 guests across a six-stateroom configuration. Together with her streamlined, full aluminium hull and 1,500 square-metres of sail, she can reach speeds of 15.5 knots.”

The boat, which was worth an estimated $40 million, was powered by twin Caterpillar C-32 diesel engines.

Rules Would Change

The waters around Sicily are popular vacation spots for tourists and sailboat enthusiasts.

Sailboat accidents are rare but often make headlines.

In May 2014, four men died when a British sailboat, the Cheeki Rafiki, lost its keel and capsized in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Four years later Douglas Innes, 43, was cleared of manslaughter by gross negligence but was given a suspended prison sentence after being convicted of failing to operate the boat in a safe manner.

The judge who sentenced Innes called on the authorities to tighten the rules governing the inspection of sailboats and Katy Ware, a director of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said she had “personally pledged to the families” rules would change.

The British foreign ministry has not responded to a request for comment.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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