A multi-million dollar yacht carrying influencers sank on Saturday (3 May) with a witness describing the ‘very concerning’ incident.
The 63-foot Tecnomar for Lamborghini was just off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida, when it began taking on water near Flagler Monument Island, a popular man-made spot in the Biscayne Bay.
There were 32 people onboard the yacht worth roughly an eye-watering $4.5 million (£3.4 million) as it eventually ended up being ‘flipped over’.
Multiple services responded to the scene as the US Coast Guard’s (USCG) southeastern division responded to a call at about 5pm local time.
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It is reported that police helped all those onboard get back to shore as a spokesperson told Fox News Digital there were not any injuries.
The USCG Southeast wrote on social media: “A U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami Beach crew and partner agencies responded to a 63-foot vessel taking on water near Monument Island, rescuing 32 people with no injuries reported around 5 p.m., Saturday.
"Commercial salvage is attempting to recover the vessel and isn't a hazard to navigation.”
It added a ‘special thank you’ to the ‘Good Samaritan boat operators in the vicinity who also rendered assistance’.
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It has been reported that the boat is supposed to only be able to hold a maximum of 16 people on board, but was carrying twice that when it began to sink at the weekend.
One witness said they were on their boat when they spotted a bunch of police boats.
“And there was another yacht that was flipped over completely vertically in the water,” Rachael Miller told CBS News Miami.
She added that the yacht was ‘vertical’, adding: "It was straight up in the water. It definitely didn't look ordinary, and it's just very concerning."
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Another witness, Bruce Maresh, said he couldn’t quite believe his eyes as the yacht began to tip over.
“Something in the distance, it appeared at an angle, and the closer we get, you could tell it was a big boat,” he told WSVN.
Videos went viral from the incident as clips showed passengers trying to save items like laptops as one joked: “Women and children first!”
It is reportedly unclear who owns the boat or what caused it to begin to take on water and end up sinking.
WSVN say that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is currently investigating the incident.
Jess Battison