Padua, August 19, 2026 — The Angiola II, the 30-meter yacht sunk on Wednesday, August 12 in the waters of the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, is still on the seabed at about seven meters deep. The yacht, flying the Maltese flag and valued at around 8 million euros, remains at the spot where it sank, between the island of the Cappuccini and Capo Ferro. While awaiting recovery, the Tempio Pausania Prosecutor’s Office continues to work to reconstruct the causes of the accident.
On board the entrepreneur Antonio Bettanin
There were 14 people on board the vessel, including the owner Antonio Bettanin, an entrepreneur from Noventa Vicentina known in the Padua area. All occupants managed to abandon the yacht and no one was injured. The rescue operations therefore ended without consequences for the people, while it remains to be clarified what caused the sinking. According to initial reconstructions, during navigation there was a failure in one of the engines, followed by a fire outbreak. The situation made it necessary for the people on board to abandon the yacht. The vessel then took on water until it lost buoyancy and settled on the seabed.
The presence of Bettanin on the yacht was confirmed by the Mattino di Padova, to which the entrepreneur gave a brief statement after the event: “We were in front of the port and we are all fine, this is the only important thing — he explained — We are waiting to understand what happened.” These words first confirm the fortunately injury-free outcome of the accident and, at the same time, the uncertainty about the causes that led to the sinking.
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The 30-meter-long vessel, the operation to bring it to the surface
The wreck belongs to the Bettanin family and is a large vessel, about 30 meters long. After the sinking, it became necessary to plan an operation to bring it to the surface. At the moment, the arrival of a tugboat is awaited, which will allow the recovery of the yacht and its transfer to shore. The operation methods will have to take into account the position of the yacht and the relatively shallow depth at which it is located. Meanwhile, the investigations by the Tempio Pausania Prosecutor’s Office continue to establish the exact sequence of events. Checks on the engine system and the condition of the vessel at the time of departure will also be fundamental, as well as the elements that will emerge from the testimonies of the people on board.
At first, there was news that the Angiola II was a newly launched boat. This information was later denied by the shipyard that built it, Amer Yachts of Sanremo. According to the builder, the yacht was in fact a six-year-old used vessel, delivered to the new owner only a few days before the sinking. Before delivery, the yacht had undergone maintenance and refit work at another shipyard in Tuscany. This is an element that could be part of the investigations necessary to reconstruct the condition of the vessel before navigation and to verify if there are connections with the subsequent engine problem. Now the central point of the investigation remains precisely the failure that would have preceded the fire and the ingress of water. Technical checks and the recovery of the wreck will provide further elements to the Prosecutor’s Office.
