A yacht worth nearly $1 million sank in the water off the shore of Turkey just 15 minutes after its maiden voyage as panicked passengers and crew jumped overboard.
Dramatic amateur video shows the vessel, the Dolce Vento, ease into the water off the coast of Zonguldak in northern Turkey’s Eregli district Tuesday before lurching to one side and slowly sinking into the depths.
The Dolce Vento launched for the first time Tuesday off northern Turkey. NX
Within minutes, the $940,000 vessel started swaying in the water. NXIt was the first time the approximately 85-foot boat, worth around $940,000, was launched after being delivered to its owner from Istanbul.
The owner, captain and two crew members jumped overboard and swam to shore without injury, and the coast guard and port teams responded to set up a security perimeter around the foundering watercraft.
Passengers and crew, including the boat’s owner, sought refuge on the side of the sinking yacht before diving into the water and swimming to shore. NXOfficials at the shipyard said the cause of the sinking was under investigation, and that technical inspections of the yacht will be carried out to determine what happened.
Last month, a fishing boat with 11 passengers on board began sinking off Pier 1 in Sheepshead Bay at night, requiring an NYPD Harbor Unit rescue team to whisk those on board to safety.
