At least one person has been killed and six others are missing after a luxury superyacht sank during a severe storm near the Sicilian capital of Palermo on Monday, Italian authorities said.
Bagheria city council said in a statement that the 184-foot yacht, with 22 people on board, “suddenly sank, probably due to bad weather” at around 5 a.m. local time (11 p.m. Eastern time).
The agency added that strong storms and tornadoes struck the area and coastal areas about an hour earlier.
A baby aged around one year old is being treated at Children’s Hospital, the statement said, adding that seven adults were taken to emergency rooms but “none appear to be in serious condition.”
Seven more people were at the Port Authority in nearby Porticello. Six were still missing, the statement said. Volunteers from various organisations “were on the scene to assist”, it added.
In a separate statement, Italy’s fire service said it had sent “divers, motorboats and helicopters” to help with the search effort.
The wreck was located in about 165 feet of water, according to the statement.
It added that divers from Sassari in Sicily and Naples on the Italian mainland “have arrived at the scene to search inside the wreck.”
The Italian Coast Guard named the yacht Baysian, built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini, according to the Associated Press. The news agency reported that an online yachting site said the luxury vessel has an aluminum hull and can accommodate 12 guests and up to 10 crew members. The site said the yacht could be chartered for up to 195,000 euros (about $215,000) per week, according to the Associated Press.
According to the ship-tracking app Vessel Finder, the vessel left the Sicily port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with its navigation status listed as “at anchor.”
Fabio La Bianca, 40, took photos of the boat just after the bar closed in the Santa Flavia neighborhood on Sunday night at about 10 p.m. “What an incredible tragedy tonight. I’m at a loss for words,” the 40-year-old said in a Facebook post on Monday.