A spectacular pyre in the waters of the Mediterranean. That was the image left yesterday afternoon, Saturday, by the fire of a luxurious 27-meter-long yacht anchored in the surroundings of Cavall d'en Borràs, off the coast of Formentera.
Despite the striking images, the incident resulted in no injuries, since the 17 people on board -five crew members and a dozen passengers- were able to leave the ship in time without suffering personal injury thanks to the help from other private boats present in the area.
The testimonies ensure that the flames spread in a matter of minutes throughout the boat, which ended up turning into a ball of fire from which a huge column of smoke emanated, visible even from the neighboring island of Ibiza.
The flames have started for reasons that are unknown shortly before six in the afternoon. In response to the situation, Maritime Rescue was informed by 112 Emergencies that a patrol boat from the Civil Guard and Fire Department were heading to the scene of the event.
A Maritime Rescue vessel has gone to the scene of the fire to act in the rescue operation. It is about the Salvamar ACRUX that has towed the wrecked ship to the north of Punta Pedrera, there, according to reports, the boat totally sank after a complicated operation.
At the moment, in a first observation, according to Salvage sources, there is no apparent contamination from spills. As for the causes for which the fire started, it will be the Maritime Captaincy who will take charge of the investigation. It will also have to be decided whether the damaged yacht remains at the bottom of the sea or is extracted, with which, in its case, the owner would have to present a refloating plan and carry it out, with prior authorization from the Maritime Captaincy.
The images of this fire are reminiscent of those previously suffered in the same area by other superyachts. This is the case of the Aria SF, a 45-meter-long luxury vessel valued at 45 million euros and owned by the Italian businessman Paolo Scudieri, which ended up going up in flames just a year ago.
On that occasion, the Aria SF burned down when it was sailing in Cala Saona. The salvage operation lasted for weeks and the superyacht ended up sinking off Cap Martinet.
