Yacht found adrift off French island prompts search

A search was under way on August 17, 2026, for anyone who may have been aboard a 13-metre yacht found adrift near Ile d'Yeu off France's Atlantic coast, maritime authorities said.

The Etel Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Centre launched the operation late in the day after the sailing yacht was spotted near the island. The Atlantic maritime prefecture said a helicopter and a maritime surveillance aircraft were deployed to search for the yacht's potential occupants in relatively calm seas.

The alert was raised by a passenger on a Brittany Ferries vessel travelling from Portsmouth in Britain to Bilbao in Spain, who saw the yacht apparently in distress.

An AFP journalist aboard the ferry reported that the vessel interrupted its voyage and launched a rescue boat with three crew members. The team found no signs of life aboard the yacht or in the water around it.

Authorities said the number of people who may have been on board was unknown. The maritime prefecture said no emergency beacon had been activated.