Dramatic rescue
Video of a 40-meter superyacht sinking off the coast of Italy over the weekend has gone viral on social media, showcasing the amazing force of the ocean. The luxurious ship entered hazardous waters approximately 14.5 kilometres from the Catanzaro Marina, a well-known tourist area that is favoured by the wealthy and powerful, according to the Italian coast guard. Just minutes before the multi-million dollar edifice sank to the murky depths, the coast guard pulled the five crew members and four passengers from the boat in a dramatic rescue.
Caught in crosswind
In the video, which was shared via the official Guardia Costiera Facebook page, the superyacht, which the Italian press has identified as the ‘Saga’, can be seen swaying violently from one side to the other, caught in a torrid crosswind that threatened the lives of all on board.
As the winds pick up, one side of the vessel dips below sea level, causing an influx of water to take hold.
Remarkably, no one was seriously injured, but the incredible speed at which the yacht sunk was a stark reminder of just how deadly the ocean can be.
Taking to Facebook, the Catanzaro Coast Guard revealed that investigations into the accident are still ongoing.
“In the past few days, the CoastGuardia di Crotone has been engaged in coordinating rescue for the occupants of a 40-metre yacht, which started from Gallipoli and headed for Milazzo, then sank about nine miles off the coast of Catanzaro Marina,” the organisation wrote.
While a tug was on-hand to the helm to rescue, difficult weather conditions made the task near impossible.
Sinking instantly
“Despite all the efforts made in this sense, however, the water soon reached the flybridge of the yacht and the conditions became dangerous even for the tugboat, thus forcing the decision to give up the unit, which sank in a very short time,” local publication Catanzaro Informa wrote.
“The maritime personnel of the Saga who was on board the tugboat were transferred to the Coast Guard patrol boat to be accompanied to the port of Catanzaro Marina.”
While there’s no official word yet on just what went wrong, footage of the superyacht sinking in Italy has already gone viral.
Publications across the globe are sharing images captured by the coastguard, generating thousands of comments.
Needless to say, this isn’t the last we’ve heard of this Saga.
Did you subscribe to our newsletter?
It’s free! Click here to subscribe!
Source: Manofmany
