Palermo, sailboat sinks after tornado
A sailing boat of about 56 meters with 22 people on board sank during the night between Sunday 18 and Monday 19 August in the stretch of sea in front of Porticello in the province of Palermo, following a whirlwind.
Fifteen people, including a one-year-old girl, were rescued by the coast guard and firefighters: six are currently missing, including the English tycoon Mike Lynch, while the body of a man was recovered alongside the vessel.
The vessel, named “Bayesian” and flying the British flag, is now at a depth of 49 metres. On board were British, New Zealand, Irish, American and Canadian citizens.
#Palermoshipwreck off the coast of Porticello, 15 people rescued, 7 reported missing: from dawn #divers of the #firefighters engaged in research. Wreck located at 50 meters depth, speleo divers arriving [#19agosto 10:00] pic.twitter.com/IJGP2aRRWB
— Firefighters (@vigilidelfuoco) August 19, 2024
According to an initial reconstruction, the vessel was anchored in the roadstead in front of the port of Porticello: the storm that hit the area broke the imposing mast causing it to sink.
“That boat was all lit up,” a witness revealed to RaiNews24 – At about 4:30 in the morning it was gone. A beautiful boat where there had been a party. A normal holiday spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy. The boat was not far from the port. It took very little to raise the anchor and head for the port. Evidently they were surprised by the storm that suddenly hit and they were unable to avoid the sinking”.
#Sailing #boat #sinks #tornado #dead #missing #1yearold #girl #board
