A 73-year-old British sailor is missing at sea after his yacht was discovered severely damaged off the southwestern coast of France amidst turbulent weather, according to maritime authorities.
The sailor activated his emergency distress beacon on Saturday after encountering difficulties roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Lacanau, as reported by the Préfecture maritime de l’Atlantique.
A French Air Force helicopter was deployed to locate the man, but instead found his 12-meter yacht, the Tiger PA, heavily damaged in the Bay of Biscay. The vessel was described as “eviscerated.”
Two divers were subsequently lowered to the wreckage, where they found an empty life raft, officials confirmed. A Portuguese cargo ship and a Spanish hospital ship were also diverted to the area to assist in the search, joining the French Navy.
Despite several hours of searching, the operation was suspended in the early hours of Sunday morning due to the lack of any further leads.
The Préfecture maritime de l’Atlantique issued a statement urging caution to mariners navigating the waters during the severe weather conditions.
This incident follows Storm Herminia, named by the Spanish meteorological agency Aemet on Friday, which brought torrential rain and powerful winds to northern Spain and western France.
Wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) and flooding caused by the storm resulted in submerged vehicles and buildings in western France.
