Sudden, hurricane-force winds toppled the luxury Bayesian superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily last August, according to an interim report into the disaster, which found the boat had “vulnerabilities” to extreme wind which were not known to the owner or crew.

An official report into last year’s yacht tragedy, which killed seven, found that the boat could easily capsize in high winds. Its towering mast made it more vulnerable.

It indicated that - if the wind was blowing directly across the beam, or side, of the boat - wind speeds in excess of 73mph were sufficient to tip the boat over and "it is possible" the yacht was similarly vulnerable to lower wind speeds, the MAIB said.