Sicily yacht capsize LIVE: British passengers missing after tornado sinks tourist boat near Palermo as search and rescue operation gets under way

We have heard from one fisherman in Porticello who raised the alarm of the shipwreck, and now another has told how he watched the Bayesian sink to the bottom of the sea.

Pietro Asciutto told the ANSA news agency:

I was at home when the tornado hit. I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very large. I saw it sink suddenly.

I think the tornado came from Porticello. Shortly after I went down to the Bay of Santa Nicolicchia to get a better look at what was happening. The boat was still floating, then suddenly it disappeared. I saw it sink with my own eyes.

Fabio Cefalù, another fisherman from Porticello, told Italian media he found cushions, wood and a GPS signal when he searched the Bayesian earlier this morning.

We can now bring you pictures of divers joining the search and rescue effort in Sicily as six people remain missing after a superyacht capsized this morning.

Four Britons and two Americans remain unaccounted for after the 180ft sailboat sank near Porticello some time between 4am and 5am.

As well as coast guard divers, helicopter teams are scouring from above to assist the search.

The Foreign Office said in a statement: 

We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.

Meanwhile, shadow foreign minister for Europe, Alicia Kearns, wrote on X:

Desperately sorry to hear of the capsizing of the Bayesian – a heartbreaking incident.

My thoughts are with all the families of those lost at sea, and those recovering following the rescue operation, I’m sure the foreign office will be providing consular support to British Nationals and their families.

The person found dead near the shipwreck of the Bayesian was the sailboat’s cook, it has been reported.

Italian media outlet Palermo Today has reported the crew member was a Canadian national who was a citizen of Antigua, the other crew members are reportedly safe and include nationals from New Zealand, Netherlands, Spain, UK, Ireland, Germany, South Africa and Burma.

The 12 passengers are all believed to be British and American. Of the six missing, four are understood to be British with the remaining two from the US.

Rescuers are believed to fear the missing six could be trapped inside the sunken hull of the Bayesian which is reported to be 49 metres below sea level.

If you’re just joining us this morning, we are reporting live updates after a 180ft superyacht carrying British passengers capsized off the coast in Sicily in the early hours this morning.

Italian authorities say one body has been recovered near the shipwreck while six others, some of whom are believed to be British, remain missing with a search and rescue effort under way.

Here’s everything you need to know:

• Between 4am and 5am this morning the Bayesian superyacht carrying 22 passengers and crew sank off Porticello, a fishing village near the city of Palermo in Sicily
• One person has been found dead and six others are missing while 15 people, including a mother and her baby as well as the ship’s captain, survived
• Local fishermen raised the alarm in the early hours after violent weather struck the British-flagged yacht and reportedly caused it to take on water amid reports a tornado struck the area
• A huge search and rescue effort involving four coast guard vessels, two helicopters and divers are scouring the shipwreck for missing people
• Local residents say they are in ‘mourning’ after the tragedy while the ship’s managers say they are ‘dealing with a situation’

We will bring you more developments throughout the day as and when we can.

A fisherman has told how he helped search the superyacht after it had capsized but didn’t find any passengers.

Fabio Cefalù, from Porticello, was among those who raised the alarm of the shipwreck to the port authorities after investigating the scene when weather conditions calmed down.

At 4:20 we saw a rocket and after the storm we went out to sea.

We only found cushions, wood and materials from the boat – continues the witness -, we reported everything to the port authority . Around 4:35 we found the GPS signal of the sinking of the sailboat. But apart from that we found nothing.

Italian firefighters have released a video of divers searching for missing yacht passengers as a search and rescue effort continues off the coast in Sicily.

Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s institutional agency for fire and rescue service., have posted a video on its X account showing the search from sea and air.

Watch the video below by clicking on the tweet.

A cafe owner in Porticello has told the The Telegraph that the village is in ‘mourning’ after the shipwreck off the coast in the early hours.

One person has died and six others remain missing after the boat sank with 22 people on board.

Bartolomeo Lo Coco, who owns the Tosto Chiosco cafe in Porticello, said no-one could have predicted the destructive weather that is understood to have led to the Bayesian taking on water.

We are in mourning here, all of us are in mourning. We have never seen anything like this, ever. There is a very serious tragedy.

This wasn’t a thunderstorm, this was a whirlwind. It happened all of a sudden. There is a lot of damage here. Boats were dislodged from their moorings and restaurant tables were broken within minutes and sent flying several metres.

It has been reported that some local fishermen raised the alarm for the Bayesian after it is believed to have taken on water when a tornado struck an area off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, at around 5am.

Italian media is reporting that witnesses claim the yacht was anchored to the front of the marina when the tornado struck with winds so strong that it broke the sail mast and caused the vessel to lose its balance.

More details have emerged about the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht.

Italian media outlet Blog Sicilia has reported eight of those rescued were taken to hospitals in Bagheria and Palermo with none of them said to be seriously injured.

Five people who did not require treatment are said to be helping the Coast Guard to provide a reconstruction of what happened.

According to maritime authorities, 12 passengers were on board the Bayesian at the time it capsized and 10 crew members. The captain is understood to have survived.

Four coast guard vessels, a coast guard helicopter and a fire brigade helicopter, fire brigade divers and the Messina coast guard diving unit are involved in the search.

Six people remain missing after a body was found by rescuers near the shipwreck.

We can now bring you pictures of emergency search and rescue teams near the scene of a shipwreck in Sicily after a British-flagged boat sank this morning.

Firefighters and the Italian Coast Guard are among the agencies searching near Porticello as six passengers remain missing.

One body has already been discovered near the shipwreck and brought ashore.

Camper and Nicholsons International, the managers of the Bayesian yacht reported to be sunk off the coast in Sicily, have confirmed to the BBC they are ”dealing with a situation onboard one of [their] managed vessels’.

The company did not confirm which one of its vessels was involved.

Camper & Nicholsons describe themeselves as the ‘original yachting company’ which specialises in sales, construction and management of yachts.

Sicily is currently under a weather warning for wind, with video showing strong gusts battering the coast this morning.

CCTV footage from around 4am this morning shows a torrent of wind and rain slamming into Santa Nicolicchia – an area of Porticello where Bayesian was anchored.

The high winds throw umbrellas, plant pots, tables and chairs flying within seconds of hitting, with the local restaurant who shared the footage saying: ‘In a moment the hurricane took everything away!’

The owners of Baia Santa Nicolicchia said they were able to open later in the morning once the storm had passed, but added: ‘We have no memory of anything like this in our area.’

We have just seen some quotes reported in the Italian press and residents in Sicily react to the tragedy.

A man from Porticello told the Ansa news agency that it appeared the yacht was surprised by a storm before it capsized:

That boat was all lit up. At around 4:30 in the morning it was gone.

A beautiful boat where there had been a party. A normal holiday spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy.

The boat was not far from the port. It took very little to raise the anchor and head for the port.

Evidently they were surprised by the storm that suddenly hit and they were unable to avoid sinking.

Italian media are reporting a body has been found by rescuers searching for missing passengers after a yacht capsized off Sicily.

Italian newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano has reported the body was recovered on the sea bed near the sailboat which sank in front of Porticello at around 5am local time.

A mother and her one-year-old child are understood to be among the 15 people who were rescued when the yacht capsized earlier this morning.

According to Italian media outlet RAI, the baby was taken to the Children’s Hospital of Palermo.

Both mother and baby are said to be fine, with the woman sustaining only minor injuries and the child undergoing tests as a precaution.

According to La Repubblica, the survivors already brought ashore are British, New Zealand, Irish citizens, as well as a survivor from Sri Lanka. Two of the survivors are said to have dual British-French passports.

The 180ft yacht carrrying 22 passengers is thought to have arrived in Porticello after a stopping in Milazzo and sailing alongside of Cefalù.

Named as the Bayesian, a luxury boat which sails under a British flag, the yacht has a gross tonnage of 473 tons, and was built by the Perini Navi Viareggio shipyard in February 2008 before being refitted in 2020.

The vessel has capacity for 11 guests and 10 crewmembers.

The group are reported to have been tourists on holiday in Sicily, and were staying on the vessel.

According to Italian newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano, the yacht is powered by twin 8-cylinder diesel engines and can reach a maximum speed of 15 knots (17mph).

The boat is also said to have the second tallest mast in the world and the largest aluminum one of 75 meters.

According to Italian media, the yacht sank at around 5am local time in the stretch of sea in front of Porticello, in the province of Palermo.

Porticello is a small fishing village located between the Sicilian cities of Palermo and Cefalu and is described on holiday websites as a ‘hidden treasure’ that ‘few tourist know about’.

Good morning, if you’re just joining us we are providing live coverage after a yacht carrying British passengers capsized off the coast of Sicily at around 5am local time on Monday.

Here’s everything you need to know:

• A luxury 180ft sailing yacht, called the Bayesian (pictured above), carrying 22 people sank off the coast of Sicily at around 5am local time after bad weather including a tornado was reported in the area
• Fifteen of the 22 people on board, including a one-year-old child and its mother, were rescued by coast guard patrol boats and firefighters.
• But seven people, four British nationals, two Americans and a Canadian national, remain missing with a search and rescue effort under way to recover them
• Expert divers have already dived to reach the hull, 49 metres below the water and about half a mile from the coast, according to Italian media.
• Nautical maps show the last known location of the Bayesian just after 2am local time, when it was at anchor.

Stick with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest on this breaking news story.

Four British nationals 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 this morning, Italian media reports.

Fifteen of the 22 people on board, including a one-year-old child and its mother, were rescued by coast guard patrol boats and firefighters.

The passengers were mainly British, according to reports, while citizens from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Canada, the US and two dual British and French nationals were also said to be on board.

The group are reported to have been tourists on holiday in Sicily, and the boat sailed under a British flag.

The vessel is believed to have taken on water after a tornado hit the area off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, at around 5am.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage after a 180ft yacht carrying British passengers sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of this morning.

Italian media is reporting four Britons are among seven people missing after the tourist boat was struck by a tornado off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, at around 5am local time.

We will bring you the latest developments on this breaking story.