The yacht was anchored in Cavall d’en Borràs, off the north of the island, in the Balearics, and in front of a well-known restaurant called El Tiburon. The boat’s owner is said to be Diego Gómez González, 34, a professional poker player who goes by the nickname “the Lion”.
The 34-year-old, from Madrid, gained his nickname after dressing up in a full-body lion costume at the final table of the 2012 European Poker Tour in Prague.
This is the dramatic moment a 88-foot luxury yacht reportedly owned by a professional poker player nicknamed 'The Lion' burst into flames before sinking off the Mediterranean island of Formentera.
Five crew and 12 passengers are said to have been on board the yacht called Irmao but were able to abandon it in time despite the speed with which the Italian-designed cruiser was transformed into a floating inferno.
Spanish coastguards released footage of them towing the flaming yacht, but they confirmed that the vessel later sunk off a natural landmark called Punta de Sa Pedrera in Formentera. Only one of the crew members, described as a 39-year-old Spaniard, needed hospital treatment for minor burns according to regional emergency response coordinators.
The alarm was sounded around 6pm yesterday while the yacht, which costs £46,000 to charter in summer, was anchored off Es Cavall d'en Borras beach in the Ses Salines Natural Park.
