The yacht was sailing from Gallipoli to Milazzo, Sicily, on Saturday, local media reported, when it began to fill with water and eventually sank a few hours later, about nine nautical miles from the port of Catanzaro.
All crew members and passengers were rescued and uninjured, the coast guard said on Twitter. She said that she launched an investigation to determine what happened.
MY Saga first reported an issue on Saturday after setting sail from Gallipoli, on Italy’s southeastern peninsula, according to the country’s Associated Press National Agency (ANSA). Patrol boats from the Italian coast guard in Crotone and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) were dispatched to the scene.
They found the ship taking on water from the stern. Five people (four passengers and one crew member) were initially rescued by a Romanian patrol boat acting on behalf of Frontex. They were then transferred to the coast guard boat and transferred to Catanzaro, reported ANSA.
In the meantime, a towing company was hired to try to salvage the ship. A tugboat arrived and took the four remaining crew members, including the captain, on board before beginning to tow the ship towards Crotone. But, according to ANSA, bad weather made the process difficult, as did the position of the yacht, which was tilted into the water.
Eventually the tug abandoned the yacht and sank in the Gulf of Squillace. The coast guard took the remaining crew to Catanzaro.
It is it’s not the first time A sinking yacht has garnered attention on the internet. In May, rapper Cardi B posted images on social media of a yacht sinking near her hotel while she was vacationing in an unknown location. She could be heard screaming as she asked if there wasn’t a “big boat that could save him.” Finally, she said “goodbye” as she disappeared into the water. She later clarified that nobody was on board.
The same month, passers-by watched as another multi-million dollar yacht, the Rendevous, sank in Torquay Harbour, a marina in south-west England, after a fire broke out on board. The authorities warned of possible air and water contamination because the yacht was carrying about nine metric tons of diesel.
And earlier this month, the 145-foot Aria SF caught fire off the Balearic island of Formentera in Spain in an incident that was also captured on camera and shared widely on social media. Those on board were evacuated and no one was injured, The Guardian reported. The approximately $23 million yacht had reportedly just been delivered to its owner.
Chico Harlan contributed to this report.
