A luxury sailboat carrying 22 people was hit by a tornado and sank early Monday off the coast of Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily. At least one person was killed and six people were missing. Coastguards and firefighters rescued 15 people, including a one-year-old child.
According to the Italian radio station Paradise Radio1The man’s body was identified when divers descended to reach the hull of the sailboat.
Eight rescued people, including a child, were taken to local hospitals, all of whom are in stable condition, local media reported.
The search is being conducted with the participation of firefighters from the fire department around the ship, which is currently located at a depth of about 50 meters and half a mile from the shore.
On board the sailboat were two Anglo-French citizens, an Irish citizen, a New Zealander and a resident of Sri Lanka, the rest were British, the Adnkronos agency reported, quoting the Adnkronos agency. Reuters.
The 56-metre (184-foot) luxury sailing vessel was caught in a severe storm.
According to the app, the ship left the port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last tracked on Sunday evening east of Palermo. Wesselinder, this is tracked by embarcades.
A Foreign Office spokesman said British officials had contacted local authorities about the incident and were ready to provide support to any British citizens affected.
Update