At around 6am on August 26, the Guardia Costiera station in Olbia, Sardinia picked up a distress call from the Lady MM reporting a fire. The agency dispatched a helicopter and two patrol boats to assist.
The vessel had 17 people on board, nine crew and eight guests, all being from Kazakhstan.They abandoned ship using the yacht's tender several hours after the call. After having been intercepted, they were escorted to the port in Siniscola by the Coast Guard, who, together with 118 offered the castaways assistance. At the moment investigations are under way to ascertain the cause of the fire.
Video footage released by the Guardia Costiera was captured by the helicopter, so it can be seen that the vessel's superstructure was completely destroyed by the fire.
Prewiously known as 360°, Lady MM was delivered in 2003 by ISA Yachts. The yacht's interior was designed by Janet Leroy while the exterior design was curated by the architect Walter Franchini. Lady MM had accommodation for up to 10 guests in 5 cabins, including a master suite, a VIP cabin and six double cabins, in addition to the 9 crew members.