A 160 foot long UK-flagged sailboat has sunk off the coast of Palermo, Italy, with seven people still missing after a rescue attempt. 

Fifteen people, including a one-year-old child, were rescued by the Italian Coastguard and firefighters in the area. 

The vessel is believed to have sunk after a tornado struck in the area. The people on board are believed to have been mostly British with a New Zealander, a Sri Lankan citizen, two Anglo-French and an Irish citizen on board. 

Italian news website Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that the vessel sank off Porticello at about 5am local time (4am GMT) on Monday (August 19).

Divers have already reached the hull which is 49 meters deep and about half a mile from the coast, according to the same publication.

Survivors from the boat have been taken to Porticciolo, Il Fatto Quotidiano said in its report.

The Agenzia ANSA news service reported that the search for the seven missing people who were on board the sailing boat that sank at dawn this morning is underway off Porticello.

It said four British, a Canadian and two Americans are missing. A picture of the boat posted on Facebook was accompanied by the comment: “Last picture I took at 10pm. The yacht on the left sunk at 4:05, caught in the middle of the hurricane 300 meters from the port of Porticello, next to another sailboat that provided rescue.

“It looks like there are 22 on board but unfortunately 7 missing, they’re still afraid inside the hull. Unbelievable tragedy tonight. I’m out of words.”

Another Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, has named the boat as Bayesian. A superyacht listed under the same name online describes the vessel as launching in 2008.

Superyacht Times’ report says Bayesian’s hull and superstructure are made of aluminium. She is reportedly powered by two MTU engines, giving her a top speed of 15.6 knots.

The vessel was built by Perini Navi, a boat company based in Viareggio, Tuscany.

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