Three Rescued From Burning Catamaran 5 Miles Off Italian Coast

A catamaran caught fire off the coast of Rome on May 7, spurring a dramatic ocean rescue of the three people on board by Italy’s national fire service, Vigili del Fuoco.

Fire officials said they were alerted to the fire by the coast guard and reached the 17-meter-long vessel, which was burning about five miles off the port town of Civitavecchia, by both helicopter and motorboat.

This dramatic footage released by Vigili del Fuoco shows smoke spewing from the blackened catamaran as rescuers sped towards it.

According to local reports, firefighters from Civitavecchia saved all three passengers and “immediately” extinguished the fire. Credit: Vigili del Fuoco via Storyful