The "flamboyant president" of Serie A side Napoli had to be "airlifted to safety after his luxury superyacht burst into flames at sea," according to John Hall of the London DAILY MAIL. AURELIO DE LAURENTIIS and 11 guests "were anchored off the coast of Posillipo, a small town near Naples, when the blaze started." Speaking after their dramatic rescue, the businessman and film maker "admitted to having been terrified throughout and speculated that the fire could have been due to an electrical fault, although a formal investigation is underway." Dramatic images "show the 105 foot long superyacht Angra engulfed in flames after the Napoli president and his guests were whisked to safety." After being rescued from the yacht, "a relaxed-looking De Laurentiis was seen walking along the pier" as his guests -- including his son LUIGI -- watched Angra go up in flames. De Laurentiis's rescue "came just hours before last night's match between Napoli and Lazio, which he had been due to attend." In a "bizarre twist," former Italian captain and Napoli player FABIO CANNAVARO "uploaded a video of burning boat, apparently unaware that it belonged to De Laurentiis." His footage, purportedly filmed using a mobile phone on the Posillipo coast, "showed metre-high flames and smoke billowing from the yacht as several rescue boats raced to the scene" (DAILY MAIL, 9/21).
