Fire Breaks Out on M/Y Lady MM

On August 25, a fire broke out on board 48-meter M/Y Lady MM. She was reportedly traveling from Capri to Porto Cervo at the time, and the yacht was located approximately 50 miles from Costa Smeralda when the fire occurred. The nine crewmembers and eight guests aboard were able to evacuate safely, Liguria Nautica reports.

A distress signal was sent out at about 6 a.m. local time and was picked up by the Olbia Coast Guard, which sent two SAR patrol boats and a Coast Guard helicopter to assist. Liguria Nautica reports that the rescuers could see the smoke and fire from several miles away.

When the rescuers reached the boat, they spotted an empty life raft. Il Messaggero reports. Only at about 11 a.m., Porto Cervo Radio informed the Coast Guard that the Lady MM crew communicated with them that they had abandoned the vessel and were heading toward the Sardinian coast in a tender.

The Coast Guard located the tender and escorted them safely to the port of Siniscola. The cause of the fire is currently being investigated.

UPDATE: 08/27/2020

In footage shared by the Coast Guard on Twitter, it appears that the fire persisted on board M/Y Lady MM for many hours following the distress signal. Unfortunately, at around 5:37 p.m. local time on August 25, the vessel sank.

Photo: Screenshot from YouTube