Watch terrifying scenes from sinking yacht inferno

Over a dozen people have been saved from a burning yacht off the coast of Sardinia.

Dramatic footage shot by the Italian coast guard shows the yacht sinking below the surface of the Mediterranean.

The video captures flames tearing through the 155-foot ship, as thick clouds of smoke rise above.

The dramatic footage showed the blaze ravaging the vessel, until it disappears beneath the waves, says Euro News.

According to Italian news agency ANSA, the 50-metre yacht, the Lady MM, was heading from Capri to Porto Cervo, Sardinia, when a fire broke out on board.

It launched a distress signal at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, the coast guard said. Two search-and-rescue patrol boats and a helicopter responded.

The 17 people, which included eight tourists from Kazakhstan and nine crew members, had already abandoned the ship and were in a smaller boat when the coast guard arrived, says the New York Post.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.