A party of Australian tourists in Greece swam to safety after a private yacht they had boarded started taking on water off the coast of Alonnisos in the Aegean Sea on Monday morning.
As local news sites reported the yacht started sinking after the planks began to slacken due to the intense heat.
The group of Australian tourists immediately jumped into the water and swam to safety as the vessel was fortunately not far off from the port of Votsi on the southwest side of the island – which is part of the Sporades cluster. According to site onlarissa, nearby boats rushed to the area to assist the group.
The Alonnisos Coast Guard Station was notified and immediately sailed to the area while a crane was called for water pumping. The vessel was towed to a private boat storage and repair facility.
The boat owner reportedly said it had been a while since he used the vessel and was unaware it needed maintenance. The Coast Guard Station is continuing investigations to determine the cause of the accident. The accident did not cause any marine pollution.
