Six high-profile individuals were missing after a 56-meter luxury yacht sank off the Sicilian coast during terrible storms in the early hours of Monday. The British-flagged ‘Bayesian’ was at anchor near the port of Porticello in heavy weather. The sudden coincidental impact of a tornado destroyed the yacht that had 22 people on board.
Among the missing are Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International as well as British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch. The missing include Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah. Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, and the wives of Bloomer and Morvillo complete the list of those missing.
Rescue Efforts and Survivors
Italian coast guard, fire rescue, and civil protection services launched an extensive search operation immediately after the incident. Helicopters and rescue boats searched for the missing. Fifteen people were rescued in these operations. Angela Bacares, Lynch’s wife owns the luxury yacht and was among those who were rescued. Eight survivors are hospitalized while the remaining are residing in a nearby hotel.
Tragically a casualty has been confirmed as the body of the yacht’s chef ‘Ricardo Thomas’ was recovered from the hull of the boat.
UK Tech Tycoon among six missing in Yacht Disaster
British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59 who founded Autonomy — once touted as Britain’s largest software firm was among the missing people in the ill fated yacht. Lynch’s name came to the spotlight due to the HP controversy after he sold “Autonomy” to HP for $11billion in 2011.
Investigation and Aftermath
A team of four inspectors from the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been sent to Italy where the investigation has begun. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is providing consular support for those affected by this incident and their relatives.
Local fisherman Fabio Cefalù reported that around 4:30 am, he saw a distress flare. When he arrived at the scene, he noted that only yacht debris was visible from above the water level. Debris was scattered around the underwater site due to the severe overnight weather which developed into challenging conditions and quickly turned the yacht upside down, causing it to sink instantly.
The wreck is approximately 50 meters deep, and specialist divers have reached the site. Nevertheless, the access for rescuers to the structure is not full due to some obstructions. As the search operation continues, authorities are working relentlessly to find the missing persons and uncover the events behind this tragic incident.
“The Bayesian” was developed by Italian company Perini Navi in 2008. This luxurious yacht was designed for the retreat of up to 12 passengers and accompanied by 10 crew members. The yacht reportedly left the Sicillian port of Milazzo on August 14th. The yacht was last tracked on the East of Palmero Sunday evening with the navigation status as “at anchor” according to the vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.
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