Var: a person missing after a fire on a docked yacht

A person is missing following a fire on a yacht moored in the port of Saint-Mandrier (Var) near Toulon, on the night of Saturday to this Sunday, said the maritime prefecture of the Mediterranean in a press release.

[# Press release] This morning, fire on board yacht docked at the IMS 300 shipyard in St Mandrier (83).

Intervention means @MarineNationale in reinforcement land means, in particular for the fight against pollution risk.

See attached press release.

pic.twitter.com/aIxqM2Kztr

— Maritime Prefecture of the Mediterranean (@Premarmed) April 17, 2022

The fire broke out "from 02:30 on board the yacht

(about thirty meters), docked at the IMS 300 site in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer (83)", specified the prefecture, adding that the flames spread "rapidly to the whole ship".

The latter was flying the Austrian flag, according to Var Matin.

Around 5:20 a.m., it was completely destroyed and "three-quarters sunk", according to the press release, despite the intervention of Toulon firefighters.

It was not until around 11 a.m. this Sunday that the fire could be completely extinguished, noted France bleu.

Searches don't turn up anything

Four people, bothered by the fumes, were taken to hospital.

According to France bleu, it would be three people present on the boat and a port security officer.

A fifth person "deemed present on board the boat is still missing", added the prefecture.

According to Var matin, a dive was carried out by the firefighters around 4 a.m. to check if this person had not drowned while trying to escape the flames, but the searches yielded nothing.

The boat will be refloated within 48 to 72 hours in order to continue the excavations inside, for its part indicated France bleu.

The intervention, according to the newspaper, mobilized 37 firefighters, two ambulances, four fire engines, rescuers from the SNSM and a shuttle from Toulon firefighters.

“At this stage, the effects of the disaster on the environment have been contained”, indicates the prefecture, in particular thanks to the intervention of an anti-pollution detachment from the Toulon naval base.

A car parked nearby on the wharf also burned, and a barge and a nearby yacht were damaged.

Var matin learned from Denis Carabin, director of the IMS 300 and 700 shipyards, that the Lady Amethyst, formerly owned by a Frenchman, had just been sold this Friday April 15, probably to an Austrian.