One man has died and six other people are missing after a sailing yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning, the Italian fire and rescue service has said.
The 56m (183ft) yacht was flying a British flag and Britons are among those missing, Italian media has reported.
The 22 people onboard included 10 crew and 12 passengers, some of whom were American and Canadian nationals. Emergency services rescued 15 people including a one-year-old child.
Local media reported that the yacht sank after encountering a heavy storm overnight that caused water spouts to appear over the sea.
Fabio la Bianca The Bayesian sail boatFabio la Bianca
The Bayesian yacht (left) at around 22:00 local time on Sunday night
A wreck has been identified at a depth of 50m, the fire brigade said, with divers searching for the missing people.
The body of the man who has been confirmed dead was found outside the wreckage. His nationality has not yet been confirmed.
Eight of those rescued are receiving treatment in hospital, the Italian coastguard said.
Footage from the wreckage site showed helicopters circling over several coastguard vessels as divers wearing bright orange descended into the water.
The western half of the Mediterranean has seen frequent severe storms since the middle part of last week, with low pressure dominating.
Through Sunday night and into Monday morning a clutch of intense storms passed by the north coast of Sicily. These may have brought sudden increases in wind as well as heavy rain.
Reuters Emergency services carry a body bag after a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday, off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2024.Reuters
One person has been confirmed dead, according to the Italian coastguard
The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of the incident and in contact with local authorities.
A statement from the Italian coastguard said that a nearby boat offered assistance to people before emergency services arrived.
Local media have reported that the sailing yacht is called the Bayesian.
The Bayesian’s publicly available onboard tracker last transmitted near Porticello, just after 04:00 local time – shortly before rescue efforts reportedly began.
The ship is managed by Camper and Nicholsons International. A spokesperson told BBC Verify that they are currently “dealing with a situation onboard one of [their] managed vessels”, but would not confirm which vessel, or any further details.
BBC