1 Dead, 6 Missing After Luxury Superyacht Sailboat Sinks in Storm off Sicily 

Emergency and rescue services work near the scene where a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Emergency and rescue services work near the scene where a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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1 Dead, 6 Missing After Luxury Superyacht Sailboat Sinks in Storm off Sicily 

Emergency and rescue services work near the scene where a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Emergency and rescue services work near the scene where a sailboat sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, August 19, 2024. (Reuters)

A luxury superyacht sailboat carrying foreign tourists capsized and sank off Sicily in bad weather early Monday. One body was found, six people were missing and 15 people were rescued, authorities said.

The British-flagged, 56-meter (184-foot) “Bayesian” had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, representing British, American and Canadian nationalities, the Italian coast guard said.

Fifteen people were rescued initially and taken to shore at Porticello, where eight were in the hospital. One body was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for, said Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service.

A helicopter and rescue boats from the coast guard, carabinieri, fire rescue and civil protection service were at the scene searching for the missing and had located the wreck at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet). The boat capsized around 5 a.m. off the port of Porticello.

Experienced deep-water divers were arriving at the scene to try to enter the hull, he said. Those who hadn't been rescued included one member of the crew and six passengers, the coast guard said.

Local media said a fierce storm, including water spouts, had battered the area overnight but skies were clear and seas calm by Monday morning.

The ANSA news agency said the yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, had been moored off the port at Porticello.



Flash Floods in Southern Spain Prompt Officials to Evacuate over 350 Homes

A van is swept away by the current of the Campanillas river, in Almogia, Malaga province, Spain, 18 March 2025. EPA/JORGE ZAPATA
A van is swept away by the current of the Campanillas river, in Almogia, Malaga province, Spain, 18 March 2025. EPA/JORGE ZAPATA
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Flash Floods in Southern Spain Prompt Officials to Evacuate over 350 Homes

A van is swept away by the current of the Campanillas river, in Almogia, Malaga province, Spain, 18 March 2025. EPA/JORGE ZAPATA
A van is swept away by the current of the Campanillas river, in Almogia, Malaga province, Spain, 18 March 2025. EPA/JORGE ZAPATA

Flash floods unleashed by heavy rains promoted officials in southern Spain to evacuate over 350 homes, shut down roads and cancel classes on Tuesday.

Regional officials ordered the evacuation of 365 homes in the village of Campanillas near Malaga city late on Monday after a nearby river burst its banks. The evacuees spent the night in a municipal sports hall.

Andalusia's interior chief Antonio Sanz said that 19 rivers in Andalusia were on red alert for flooding on Tuesday, as bad weather spread from Malaga on the southern coast to landlocked areas near Sevilla and Cordoba. A total of 40 highways across Andalusia as well as some rail lines had to be closed due to rising waters.

The same area in Malaga was hit in November when heavy rains across a large swath of Spain led to devastating flooding in the country's east, claiming 233 lives mostly in Valencia.

Spain, which has suffered from a prolonged drought in recent years, has received steady rainfall especially in its south for the last two weeks, and the latest storm proved too much for reservoirs and riverbanks.

Scientists and government officials link these swings between extreme dry and wet spells to climate change, which has also produced increasingly hot summers in Spain.