VIDEO: Superyacht sinks off Italy coast after being battered in storm
A luxury yacht sinks some 15 km off the coast of Catanzaro, in southern Italy. AFP
A superyacht named My Saga, approximately 40-metre (131), sank around 1 pm in the Gulf of Squillace, approximately 9 nautical miles off the Catanzaro marina.
The ship, flying the flag of the Cayman Islands but with an Italian crew, sailed from Gallipoli to Milazzo.
The occupants were all rescued.
The Operations Room of the Port Authority of Crotone was called by the command on board who reported that the ship was taking in water from the stern.
A Romanian patrol boat and the CP 321 patrol boat from Crotone were sent to the area.
The first four passengers and a crewmember were immediately rescued by the Romanian patrol boat, then transferred to the port of Catanzaro Marina, while the shipping company contacted a towing company from Crotone to attempt to rescue the superyacht.
At dawn, the Crotone tug Alessandro Secondo arrived and began towing the My Saga to Crotone, the only port where the ship could have entered, embarking four other crew members, including the captain.
But the situation worsened due to weather conditions and the constant tilting of the yacht.
The authorities said the yacht would not make it to Crotone.
Despite the effort, the water invaded the hull and the yacht had to be abandoned, which sank in a very short time.
The maritime personnel of the My Saga who were on board the tug were transferred to the patrol boat to be taken to the Catanzaro marina.
An investigation will be opened to determine the reasons for the sinking.
