Robbery on the high seas is more common in the Gulf of Aden or Venezuela but when gunmen boarded a 55m superyacht just before midnight monday off the coast of Corsica, they found a safe full of cash and a defenceless crew.

According to news reports, the gunmen spoke French and wasted no time overpowering the 10 crew and 9 guests then raiding the safe. The whole operation took less than 10 minutes.

No jewellery or cash was taken from the guests and no one was injured in the attack. The safe contained 138,000 Euros (nearly £110,000).

French officials have stressed that such robberies are extremely rare and the search for the dinghy the attackers used is ongoing.