Tour boat damaged, five injured following collision with yacht near Aeolian Islands

A tour boat en route to Italy’s Aeolian Islands sustained moderate structural damage after it collided with a small pleasure craft on the morning of Tuesday, August 20.

The 36-metre-long Nadir, which was operated by Visit Sicily Tours, had left Capo D’Orlando and was sailing for the island of Salina with 350 people on board when it struck the side of a 20-metre-long yacht carrying five tourists at around 11:30 local time.

The impact left Nadir with a large breach in its bow and some damage to its port side. The vessel was still able to sail under its own power to Salina, but its condition necessitated that it complete the voyage while under escort by the Italian Coast Guard.

One of Nadir‘s passengers sustained serious head injuries and was evacuated by helicopter for treatment at a hospital in Messina.

Four other passengers suffered less severe injuries and were later brought to Lipari by another coast guard vessel that had arrived at the scene.

The yacht, which remained capable of sailing unassisted following the incident, was instructed by the coast guard to head to Lipari for processing. No injuries were reported among the yacht’s five occupants.

A preliminary investigation conducted by the coast guard revealed that Nadir‘s crew were responsible for the collision due to their refusal to give way to the yacht as it was passing through the same area.

Local prosecutors have since launched a separate probe into the incident.