Stefania Craxi and her husband Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay Entertainment and founder of Endemol Italia, escaped danger after the boat they were on on Wednesday, 10 miles from the island of Elba, caught fire and sank. The two, together with the captain, had to abandon the boat due to the flames and were immediately rescued by the harbor office of Portoferraio (Livorno).
The dynamics
The three, after trying to put out the fire that broke out in the engine compartment, immediately raised the alarm by lowering themselves into the sea on the life raft and waiting for help. They were sailing towards Marina di Campo on Elba, after a final stop at Giglio. After a few hours, the boat sank around 200 meters into the open sea, about nine miles south-east of the Elban coast.
The cause of the fire is being investigated
The causes of the fire are still being examined by the Portoferraio harbor office, but the rapidity of its spread and the fact that there were no unfavorable weather and sea conditions suggest a malfunction or technical failure. The rescue operation took place yesterday, Wednesday 13 June, around 1.30pm. The Portoferraio operations room was contacted around 12pm, when the unit commander detected the presence of a thick blanket of smoke coming from the engines. Within a short time the flames engulfed a large part of the vessel, forcing the occupants to abandon the unit, which then sank within a few hours. The authorities continue to monitor the affected area for the risk of pollution, given the fuel contained in the tanks, but for now the danger seems to have been averted.
