One Dead, Six Missing After Superyacht Sinks off Italy's Coast

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Facts

• One person has died, and six remain missing after a superyacht capsized near the Italian island of Sicily in the early hours of Monday. Among the missing are British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah.^[1]
• The Italian Coast Guard said that the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged 'Bayesian' yacht had carried 22 people—12 passengers and 10 crew members—of various nationalities.^[2]
• Of those, 15 were rescued and eight were recovering in hospitals, the coast guard added. Among those rescued was a one-year-old child.^[3]
• According to local media, it was a night of inclement weather, with severe storms and the formation of waterspouts—types of tornadoes that form over bodies of water.^[2]
• Karsten Borner, the captain of a nearby Dutch-flagged ship, said that after the passing of the storm, he noticed the ship behind him was gone before seeing the firing of a flare shortly thereafter. He and his crew returned to the location and rescued 15 people from a liferaft.^[3]
• Meanwhile, Luca Cari, a spokesman for the Italian fire rescue service, said that the wreck had been found at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet) and that experienced deep-water police divers were trying to access the hull.^[2]

Sources: ^[1]Al Jazeera, ^[2]Associated Press and ^[3]BBC News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Associated Press. What was supposed to be an enjoyable vacation has ended in the most tragic of circumstances. The yacht was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Condolences go out to all the friends and relatives of those who lost their lives.
• Narrative B, as provided by Al Jazeera. Days before the tragedy, storms and heavy rains slammed Italy, following weeks of blistering heat that raised the Mediterranean Sea temperature to record highs — increasing the likelihood of extreme weather. The surface temperature around Sicily was about 30°C (86°F), generating massive energy for storms.