A fatality ensues as a high-end yacht turns turtle near Sicily, with six individuals reported as unaccounted for.
Around 5 AM this morning, a 56-meter long yacht named 'Bayesian', under the British flag, sank close to Porticello due to a severe storm, as reported by the Italian Coast Guard.
Porticello is situated around 15 kilometers east of Palermo. The area experienced intense winds and heavy rainfall throughout the night. News outlets claim that the area was struck by a waterspout, a whirlwind of water and wind over the sea.
There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the yacht. Initially, seven were reported missing - one crew member and six passengers, three of whom were British, American, and Canadian citizens. Eventually, one body was retrieved from within the submerged yacht.
Among the missing was British tycoon Lynch and his daughter Hannah, as per the Italian Civil Protection head, Salvo Cocina, in a report by the AFP news agency. Italian media reported that the other passengers were guests of the 59-year-old. His wife, Angela Bacares, was rescued and taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Lynch was cleared of fraud charges in the US in June, accused of manipulating records and overstating his software company Autonomy's earnings. The "Sunday Times" estimated his net worth at around 587 million euros.
Off the coast of Sicily, 15 people were saved during the night, eight of whom were sent to hospitals. Among them was Charlotte Golunski, a 35-year-old British woman, who was aboard the "Bayesian" with her husband, young daughter Sophia, and colleagues from a London-based firm.
In an interview with the Italian news agency Ansa, she described losing her one-year-old daughter for "two seconds" in the water before catching her. "I held her tightly in my arms amidst the towering waves. Many were screaming. Miraculously, the inflatable lifeboat was deployed, and we all boarded it."
On Monday, divers, Coast Guard ships, and a helicopter searched for the missing in serene seas and brilliant sunshine. The sunken ship rested at a depth of 50 meters. According to media reports, the luxury yacht was anchored about 700 meters from Porticello's harbor.
"We were the initial responders, but we found no one in the water, only cushions and debris from the boat, so we promptly alerted the harbor," fisherman Fabio Cefalu told the AFP news agency.
"The ship was brilliantly illuminated. At 4:30 in the morning, it vanished," an eyewitness told Ansa. "A magnificent ship where they were celebrating. An ordinary day at sea transformed into a tragedy," he added.
The "Bayesian" was constructed in Tuscany in 2008 and refitted in 2020, as per the news website "TGCom24". It had a 75-meter tall aluminum mast and a sail area of nearly 3000 square meters. Photos shared on social media networks depicted a yacht with a dark blue hull and a light wooden deck.
TheEuropean Unionexpresses its condolences for the loss of life and offers assistance to the affected individuals and families. Following the incident, the European Commission's Maritime Safety Agency may conduct an investigation to prevent similar accidents in the future.
