Miami boat party ends with $4.5m yacht sinking and 32 rescued

Footage shows the passengers being passed life jackets as the luxury yacht sunk into the water

Thirty-two people were rescued after a yacht party ended in disaster with the $4.5million vessel sinking off the coast of Miami Beach.

Pictures had showed the Lamborghini boat’s sundeck filled with a group of influencers during the Formula One weekend in the city.

But on Saturday afternoon, the 63-foot vessel started taking water near Monument Island, a popular island in Miami’s Biscayne Bay.

Footage from the yacht showed female passengers being passed orange life vests before rescue teams, including the U.S. Coast Guard, arrived.

The 63-ft long yacht reportedly carrying influencers started to sink in Miami Beach on Saturday (USCGSoutheast)

Others on board could be seen taking pictures of the sinking yacht while one person joked “iceberg, iceberg”.

The stranded passengers were taken to Miami Beach Marina, while the luxury yacht, one of a limited-edition fleet of just 11 ships designed by the high-end Italian car maker, sunk further into the water.

"Everyone went to the top of the boat, and then we realized half the boat was in the water," one passenger told CBS News Miami.

Officials have not yet confirmed what caused the boat to start sinking. A USCG social media post confirmed that no-one suffered injuries.

Witness Rachael Miller told CBS News Miami that she caught a glimpse of the yacht sticking upright in the water.

No-one was injured after rescues got to the scene to take the passengers to safety (USCGSoutheast/X)

"We were just on the boat and we saw a bunch of cops, police boats, and there was another yacht that was flipped over completely vertically in the water," she said.

"It was vertical. Yeah, it was straight up in the water.

“It definitely didn't look ordinary, and it's just very concerning,” she added.

The stern of the luxury yacht was fully submerged after authorities took the passengers away (USCGSoutheast/X)

USGC Cpt. Yasmany Linares told CBS News Miami he joked with his first mate that the call-out was not to “do pictures and photos” after receiving the alert, before making clear it was a rescue mission.

He told CBS News Miami: “If that boat flips, all these people can be trapped under the boat and that's a different story.”