Cannes superyacht tragedy: British man, 29, dies in ‘horrific’ collision between two luxury boats in bay outside the harbour at 9pm on last day of film festival
- Man was a crew member aboard ‘Minx’ yacht which collided with ‘Vision’ ship
- Emergency services arrived to try and resuscitate the man at 9pm last night
- 17 passengers on both yachts were quickly evacuated to the mainland
- Maritime Prosecutor in Marseilles launch investigation as other crew members and passengers were interviewed
A British superyacht crew member died after suffering ‘severe trauma’ from a collision between two ships, it has emerged.
The dead crewman was lifting the anchor of the Minx when he was hit and ‘suffered severe trauma,’ said the investigating source.
French prosecutors have today opened an investigation after a British man died following a collision between two yachts in Cannes for the resort’s annual film festival.
‘Medical stuff tried to resuscitate a 29-year-old British man but he was declared dead following a cardiac arrest,’ said an investigating source.
‘Passengers and other crew members witnessed the collision which was quite horrific’ the source added.
A British man died following a collision between two yachts in bay of Cannes for the resort’s annual film festival
‘A trauma unit was set up for those who saw what happened. Both yachts were very badly damaged on their bows, but were able to sail back to port afterwards. There was no leakage of fuel.’
The victim was described as an ‘experienced member of the crew on the Minx’, which is rented out for events such as the Cannes Film Festival for €55,000 (£48,000) a week, excluding food, alcohol, tips and fuel.
Both vessels are marketed as Superyachts, and have crews of 15.
The Minx is five years old and described as being an ‘ideal charter yacht for socialising and entertaining with family and friends.’
An investigation has now been started by the Maritime Prosecutor of Marseilles, in conjunction with the Maritime Gendarmerie Research Brigade
The Vision, which was built in 2011, had recently arrived in Cannes from Monaco.
‘He was a crew member on the Minx, a yacht that was at anchor in the Cannes bay area. The other yacht involved was the Vision, which was manoeuvring at the time.’
It is not known exactly how the unidentified victim came to die, said the source, who added that 17 passengers on both yachts were ‘soon evacuated to the mainland’.
The captains and other crew members of the Minx and Vision – which are both around 20 meters (65ft) long – were meanwhile being interviewed at length.
An investigation has now been started by the Maritime Prosecutor of Marseilles, in conjunction with the Maritime Gendarmerie Research Brigade.
The boats were just north of the Ile St Marguerite – a Mediterranean island just off Cannes which is full of party yachts at the weekend, especially during the film festival.
Saturday was the last day of this year’s show, when stars from all over the world, including Hollywood, descend on Cannes for a week or film releases, prizes and parties.