Footage has emerged showing the moment a luxury superyacht sank in moments off the coast of Sicily, in a tragedy that has killed seven people.
The heartbreaking incident occurred in the early hours of Monday morning, when the 160-foot luxury yacht, named the Bayesian, became caught in a violent storm.
The boat was carrying 22 people (12 passengers and 10 crew members), as it was hit by a waterspout tornado, causing it to capsize.
The Italian Coast Guard and local authorities launched an immediate rescue operation, managing to save 15 people, per Sky News.
But firefighter Bentivoglio Fiandra has also revealed that at the time emergency services were alerted to the catastrophe at 4.38AM on August 19, the luxury yacht had already sunk and was around 50 meters underwater.
Tragically, seven people have been confirmed to have died.
These are British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo, and the boat’s chef Recaldo Thomas.
Now, footage of the moment the ill-fated yacht was hit has been shared by news outlets.
The video was obtained by NBC News after originally being captured by a camera positioned in a villa on the nearby coast, approximately 200 meters from where the superyacht was positioned.
In the grainy footage, the Bayesian's 250-foot mast can be seen illuminated with lights.
As the boat is battered by the storm, the mast appears to bend to one side before it vanishes.
Speaking about the sheer speed at which the yacht sank, Stephen Richter of SAR Marine Consulting told NBC News :"I can’t remember the last time I read about a vessel going down quickly like that, you know, completely capsizing and going down that quickly, a vessel of that nature, a yacht of that size."
On Saturday, Italian prosecutors announced that a 'manslaughter' probe had been launched.
Ambrogio Cartosio - the public prosecutor of nearby town Termini Imerese - told reporters at a press conference on August 24 that "behaviors that were not perfectly in order" could have resulted in the tragic loss of life.
Cartosio says that, although all lines of inquiry are being considered, investigators will be focusing on "the extent all the people [on board] were warned" of safety procedures, per Sky News.
Local outlet Palermo Today reports that a team will be looking into offenses of "shipwreck and multiple counts of culpable homicide against an unknown person". This has been described as being "similar to manslaughter charges in the UK" by The Telegraph and other news outlets.
Causing a shipwreck is a separate charge under the Italian penal code, with a maximum sentence of 12 years.
A report by the Daily Mail states that investigators will be reviewing the actions of the captain and first officer as well as examining security footage showing the moments before the ship capsized.
Our thoughts continue to go out to the families and loved ones of all those affected by this tragedy.
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