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Luxury yacht sinks during storm: still 6 tourists missing

Hopes are dwindling among the relatives of those on board of a luxury yacht that sank Monday off the coast of Palermo, Italy, in a violent storm. 

The search for six missing tourists who were aboard the sunken luxury yacht Bayesian continues Tuesday. Four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch are coming to assist Italian rescue services in the search for the tourists. 

The British-flagged vessel capsized around 5 a.m. on Monday when a tornado struck the area. "After 10 minutes we saw a flash of light in the sky, we waited about 10 minutes to evaluate the intensity of the tornado and we went out to sea," said Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman who witnessed the strange storm. "We were the first to offer help, but we didn't find anyone at sea, we only found pillows and the remains of the boat."

Some survivors were able to get themselves to safety by swimming to nearby ships. The rest reportedly died inside the sunken yacht. Fifteen people were reportedly rescued, but six tourists are still missing. Four of the missing passengers are British and two American, the Italian news website la Repubblica reported.

(SR for Tagtik/Source: La Repubblica/Illustration picture: Unsplash)

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