FILE - A general view shows a marina on the coast of the Italian island of Sardinia, Sept. 18, 2017. The Italian coast guard rescued 17 people from a burning yacht off the coast on Aug. 25, 2020.
The Italian coast guard Wednesday released dramatic video of a 50-meter yacht burning and sinking in the Mediterranean Sea off Italy’s Sardinia coast.
Coast guard officials said they rescued 17 people from the burning Lady MM yacht, which left a huge plume of smoke behind as it disappeared beneath the surface Tuesday.
The Italian news agency, ANSA, reports the yacht caught fire about 96 kilometers from Capo Comino, on Sardinia's northeast coast. The news service reports the coast guard received the ship’s distress signal and dispatched two boats and a helicopter to the scene.
The 17 people on board, which included eight tourists from Kazakhstan and nine crew members, had already abandoned the ship and were in a smaller boat when the coast guard arrived. One of the coast guard ships took the crew and tourists to the community of Siniscola on Sardinia. There were no reports of injuries.
The coast guard is investigating the cause of the accident.