Drama off Sicily

Luxury yacht sinks: German rescues 15 people

Captain Karsten Börner and his crew rescued 15 shipwrecked people who were on board the luxury yacht.(Bild: AP)

When the luxury yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily, a German captain became a hero: he rescued 15 of the 23 people on board. Emergency services continue to search for the missing

"We were woken up by thunder, lightning and waves. It felt like the end of the world," reports Charlotte Golunski (35), who was on board the luxury yacht Bayesian with her family. A tornado capsized the boat off Sicily on Monday. The body of one man was recovered. Six people are still missing, including the yacht's owner: Mike Lynch, a British tycoon.

In this article you can see the sunken luxury yacht:

Ship had disappeared after storm
There was a happy ending for 15 people. "When the storm was over, we noticed that the ship had disappeared behind us. My first mate and I steered towards the point," explains German captain Karsten Börner, who is now being celebrated as a hero. He and his crew picked up the shipwrecked people, some of whom were seriously injured.

The survivors were taken to Börner's ship, Sir Robert Baden Powell.(Bild: AFP/Alberto Pizzoli)

The wreck is currently lying on the seabed at a depth of 49 meters. The search for the missing persons is underway with diving units and helicopters. A team of interpreters and psychologists was deployed to help the survivors.

A fisherman also witnessed the tragic sinking of the Bayesian: "I looked towards the sea and saw the boat. I saw it suddenly sink."