A huge £20 million superyacht belonging to a mega-rich Italian tycoon went up in smoke in the Mediterranean yesterday.
Nine passengers and seven crew were rescued from the Aria SF after it caught fire and was nearly destroyed near the Spanish island of Formentera.
All five bedrooms, the gym and swimming pool are now unusable after the devastating blaze.
Emergency services said they received a distress call around 5pm local time.
A spokesman for the Spanish Coastguard Service said: "Seven crew and nine passengers are all safe. They were evacuated onto a police boat. The fire is now almost out.
"Two Coastguard vessels, Salvamar Acrux and Guardamar Concepcion Arenal, were mobilised by our co-ordination centre in Palma in Majorca after the alarm was raised around 5pm yesterday/on Thursday."
It is not clear if the owner, 61-year-old businessman Paolo Scudieri, was onboard at the time his prized asset became engulfed in the blaze.
Scudieir only received his vessel last month after purchasing it in 2019, and she was due for her world debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September.
Aria SF was part of a Gran Turismo 45 built by ISA Yachts, kitted out by luxury designers Luca Dini Design & Architecture.
The interior of the yacht has five huge staterooms for a total of 10 guests and designed to serve owners for years to come, but Aria SF has been left reportedly towed to Ibiza after just a few months of service.
Father-of-four Scudieri, who lives in Naples, is the founder of a group that owns 19 restaurants in Italy.
He is believed to be with a whopping £400 million after taking over a car-parts manufacturer, Gruppo Addler, originally owned by his dad after it was founded in Achille in 1956.
His illustrious career has seen him in position as the ambassador for Tourism of the Principality of Monaco and on the board of Banco di Napoli.
The blaze comes after another superyacht, caught fire at a marina in Torquay, Devon and sparked a major incident.
The 85ft vessel caught alight and drifted from its moorings in May, sparking the closure of several local businesses and warnings to locals.
Despite the best efforts of fire crews the luxury yacht sank.
The Environment Agency expressed fears over a mini-ecological disaster as it had nearly a full tank of fuel aboard which was thought to have leaked into the sea.
A fire service spokesman said at the time: "The yacht contains approximately 8000 Litres of diesel fuel, crews are currently at work using 4 Breathing Apparatus wearers, 1 Compressed Air Foam Jet, 2 45mm Jets, 2 Light Portable Pumps."
