Palermo, Italy: Authorities reported that a sailboat thought to be carrying foreign tourists, capsized and sank off the coast of Sicily in severe weather early Monday. Seven people are still missing, while fifteen others were rescued from the 49-meter (160-foot) vessel, according to Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service.

Cari added that the Coast Guard and fire rescue service have deployed helicopters and rescue boats to search for the missing individuals. Divers have located the wreck at a depth of 50 meters.

The incident occurred around 5 a.m. local time (1 p.m. AEST) near Porticello. Local media sources indicated that a violent storm, including waterspouts, struck the area overnight. The newspaper Il Giornale de Sicilia reported that the sailboat, flying a British flag, primarily had British passengers on board, along with individuals from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, and British-French nationals. According to the ANSA news agency, the boat, named Bajesian, had been docked at Porticello and set sail on Sunday evening.