Four Britons and two Americans among seven missing after 180ft luxury yacht sinks following tornado off Sicily coast: 15 rescued including one-year-old boy, his mother and ship’s captain in frantic rescue mission

Four Britons and two Americans are among at least seven people missing after a 180ft yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of the morning, Italian media reported.

Fifteen of the 22 people on board, including a one-year-old child and his mother, were rescued after a tornado hit the area off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, at around 5am.

According to reports, the passengers were mainly Britishwhile there were also said to be citizens of New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Canada, the US and two people with dual British and French nationality on board.

The group is said to have been tourists on holiday in Sicily, and it is feared that the missing are trapped in their cabins.

The ship has been named Bayesian: a luxury yacht sailing under the British flag and with the second tallest mast in the world.

A local Facebook group shared a photo of the yacht (left) at anchor last night. The ship has been named Bayesian and is believed to be flying the British flag.

Nautical charts show the last known location of the Bayesian just after 2 a.m. local time, when it was at anchor

The group stayed on the ship, which has been named Bayesian – a luxury yacht that sails under the British flag

A local Facebook group shared a photo of the yacht at anchor last night, just hours before the high winds hit.

According to Italian media, experienced divers have already dived to the hull, which is 49 meters (160 feet) underwater and about half a mile (0.5 km) from the coast.

Nautical charts show the Bayesian’s last known location just after 2 a.m. local time, when it was at anchor.

It is believed that the boat arrived at Porticello after stopping in Milazzo and passing Cefalù.

The 180ft yacht has a gross tonnage of 473 tons and was built in February 2008 by the Perini Navi Viareggio shipyard. In 2020 the yacht was renovated.

The deck area is 436 square meters and the six cabins cover an area of ​​143 square meters. This gives the ship space for 12 passengers and 10 crew members.

The only crew member missing is the cook. The missing also include Britons, Americans and a Canadian citizen, RAI reports.

The captain is reportedly very upset about what happened and will speak to authorities this morning.

The rescued baby was reportedly taken to Palermo Children’s Hospital, where he arrived with his mother.

Both are said to be doing well. The mother sustained only minor injuries and the child is undergoing tests as a precaution.

Sicily is currently under a weather warning due to wind. Video footage shows heavy gusts of wind blowing along the coast this morning.