Yacht at Cannes Film Festival spills fuel on Riviera beaches

CANNES, France: One of the world's largest private yachts ran aground within view of the Cannes Film Festival Palace, spilling fuel and forcing the closure of several beaches, according to police.

The 105-meter (340-foot) Lady Moura, reportedly owned by Saudi billionaire Nasser al-Rachid, one of hundreds along the shore of the French Riviera to catch the glitz and glamour of the festival, struck the sandy bottom Saturday afternoon while unloading passengers, according to a statement from the police headquarters in nearby Toulon.

No one was hurt in the incident, but the yacht, which boasts four upper decks and a helicopter pad, was evacuated before a tugboat arrived that evening to pull it free, police said. The boat suffered minor damage to its hull near the fuel tanks.

Several hundred liters of fuel spilled into the bay but were mostly contained by a 200-meter-long (6,600-foot-long) boom set up around the damaged ship, police said.

Three nearby beaches were briefly closed as a precaution Sunday, police said. French press reported that they included those of the Martinez and Carlton hotels, which host many festival-goers.

An aerial survey Sunday confirmed that traces of fuel escaped the boom, but they were expected to evaporate naturally, police said.