An Italian stewardess has been found dead on a British sailboat after it caught fire while she was sleeping in Naples.
Giulia Maccaroni, 29, was working as a stewardess on the 70ft boat 'Morgane' in Castellammare di Stabia when it went up in flames in the early hours of Monday morning.
When the boat arrived at the marina on Sunday evening, Giulia told other crew members that she was feeling tired after a journey on rough seas and wanted to sleep on 'her' boat.
The Port Authority has launched an investigation into the blaze, and the victim's body was taken to a forensics facility to undergo an autopsy.
It is believed she died from asphyxiation.
Italian stewardess Giulia Maccaroni has been found dead on a British sailboat after it caught fire while she was sleeping in Naples
Authorities are continuing to recover the damaged vessel named Morgane that sails under the flag of the UK
The Morgane is moored in Naples year round, where it is operated by local yacht management company Y Charter and is available for chartered cruises around Italy, Sicily and the Mediterranean. Giulia and her crew had just returned from a two-month cruise around the Aeolian islands
Giulia, a native of San Vito Romano 24 miles from Rome, had returned to the Castellammare di Stabia marina on Morgane from a journey made difficult by rough seas.
The crew had just returned to port in Castellammare di Stabia after completing a two-month cruise around the Aeolian Islands in Sicily.
Upon arrival, Giulia's crewmates disembarked and headed into the city, but Giulia told them she would instead stay on the boat to get some sleep as she was fatigued from the difficult sailing conditions.
The fire, the cause of which is currently unknown, started in the early hours of Monday morning as Giulia slept below deck.
Noxious fumes from the burning plastic, wood and resins that filled the living quarters were likely the cause of her death as no signs of burns were found on her body.
The 29-year-old was working as a hostess on the 70ft boat in Castellammare di Stabia when it went up in flames in the early hours of Monday
Commander of the Stabia Harbor Master's Office, Achille Selleri, said checks were ongoing to discover the cause of the fire.
'At the moment we have no evidence that suggests the fire was caused by arson. The wreck has been seized and will be subjected to technical checks to understand the causes of the fire,' he reported.
The Morgane was built in 1991 and refitted in 2016. It is moored in Naples year round, where it is operated by local yacht management company Y Charter and is available for chartered cruises around Italy, Sicily and the Mediterranean.
Giovan Battista La Mura, president of the Port Marina di Stabia, said marina staff had been affected badly by Giulia's death and had tried to tackle the fire before emergency services arrived.
'The moorers who knew her were particularly afflicted. They worked all night and the fire brigade praised them because, even before their arrival, they had begun to extinguish the fire'.
Giulia was a crew member and it is believed she was unaware of the fire and suffocated in her sleep
Eleonora Mattia, President of the Regional Council of Lazio, said: 'The news of Giulia Maccaroni's death leaves us saddened. She had a smile full of energy and a passion for the sea and adventures.
'My thoughts are with her family and the community who have lost a young life, a woman, and a daughter taken too soon.'
The fire mainly damaged the outside of the sailboat and firefighters found her dead body below deck without any visible injuries according to the news site La Stampa.
After being informed of the young woman's death, family members are travelling down from Rome to identify the body and assist the authorities with any questions.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and the investigation is ongoing.
