A luxurious £6.8 million superyacht took an unexpected plunge into the Mediterranean, mere days after it was handed over to its new owner.
Known as the Angiola II, the yacht foundered on Tuesday evening near Porto Cervo, a picturesque site in Sardinia, Italy, situated between Cappuccini Island and Capo Ferro.
Stunning footage has emerged, showing the opulent boat keeling over and gradually immersing beneath the waves, as onlookers from nearby vessels watched the drama unfold.
The 98-foot craft had been in the hands of its Italian proprietor for a scant four days, having recently undergone a comprehensive refurbishment.
Thanks to nearly three hours of meticulous effort, the La Maddalena Coast Guard managed to secure the vessel, allowing it to sink safely.
The yacht has been lying on the seabed, seven metres (23ft) below the surface, since Tuesday, where she will remain until she can be pulled from the sea.
The yacht is believed to have lost buoyancy after an engine failure caused a fire in the seals, allowing water to flow into the yacht.
However, the exact cause of the flooding and sinking has yet to be officially confirmed.
A superyacht worth £6.8million sank in the Mediterranean only days after it was delivered to its new owner
The Angiola II capsized on Tuesday evening off Porto Cervo, Sardinia, between Cappuccini Island and Capo Ferro
The owner, who remains unknown, was among the 14 people on board the yacht when it started to sink.
Twelve were rescued by another vessel sailing nearby, while the owner and a friend remained on the sinking yacht as they waited for a patrol boat, which transported them to Poltu Quatu.
No injuries were reported.
Ship brokerage Agenzia Marittima De Felice announced the purchase of the yacht in July, describing the owner as ‘a client of the agency for many years’.
Italian media have estimated the yacht’s value at more than €8million (£6.8million).
The Angiola II was launched by the Italian shipyard Permare under the Amer Yachts brand in July 2020. It was the sixth hull in the Amer F100 series.
The Amer F100 had accommodation for up to ten guests across five cabins.
A pontoon weighing approximately 200 tons will reportedly be used to remove the wreck.
A brand new £700,000 luxury yacht turned over and sank last September in northern Turkey
La Maddalena Port Authority is also reportedly taking measures to prevent any environmental damage.
This comes after a brand new £700,000 ($940,000) luxury yacht turned over and sank last September.
The incident happened about 200m offshore in the Eregli district of Zonguldak in northern Turkey on Tuesday.
Footage shows the yacht tipping onto its side and sinking into the sea as those on board jump overboard in panic.
A man, believed to be the owner, can be seen standing on the side of the vessel as it begins to sink, before he plunged into the sea and began to hurriedly swim to shore.
The boat’s captain and two crew members are also understood to have jumped overboard.
No injuries were reported.
The vessel, named Dolce Vento, was between 24 and 30m long and had been completed at the Med Yilmaz Shipyard in about five months before being delivered to its owner from Istanbul.
Coast Guard and port teams were dispatched and established a security perimeter.
Rescue teams with technical equipment have been sent to the scene to begin recovery work.
Shipyard officials said a detailed investigation will be carried out and the cause of the sinking will be determined following technical inspections.
Experts have noted that stability problems, such as errors in metacentric height calculations, are among the most significant factors that can cause vessels to capsize or sink.