- Divers Retrieving Bodies from Submerged Luxury Watercraft
Diving Team Resumed Hunt for Six Missing Yacht Passengers on Tuesday
Following a boat mishap off the coast of Sicily, the search was continued for the six individuals still unaccounted for from a luxurious yacht that sank on Tuesday morning. The vessel, identified as the "Bayesian", was located at a depth of 50 meters beneath the ocean surface, where specialized firefighter divers, adept at conducting confined space dives, were deployed for the operation.
The "Bayesian" embarked with ten crew members and twelve passengers onboard, experiencing a collision with a waterspout during a storm. Although numerous individuals were saved, the incident resulted in the death of one passenger and left six more missing.
The missing passengers included British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, Morgan Stanley manager Jonathan Bloomer, and Chris Morvillo, a legal representative from the Clifford Chance law firm, along with their spouses, according to Salvatore Cocina, Sicily's head of civil protection.
Passengers on Lynch's Yacht
Italian media sources reported that the passengers onboard were guests of Lynch, who had apparently celebrated his acquittal in a widespread billion-dollar fraud trial on the yacht.
Following his US acquittal in June, the "Sunday Times" did an estimation of Lynch's wealth, putting it at around 587 million euros. The renowned entrepreneur was exonerated of fraud charges related to his software company Autonomy's sale to Hewlett-Packard. Lynch was accused of tampering with records and exaggerating the revenue of his company.
Broken Off Mast of the "Bayesian"
The "Bayesian" was built in Tuscany in 2008 and was refurbished in 2020, boasting the world's tallest aluminum sailing ship mast, reaching 75 meters high.
Karsten Boerner, the captain of another yacht stationed at Porticello during the incident, reported to the "Corriere della Sera" newspaper that strong hurricane winds had made their appearance the night before, necessitating him to exert strenuous efforts to keep his vessel stable. Witnessing the "Bayesian's" mast sway before it snapped under the pressure, Boerner shared his account.
Possible Surprise Storm for Crew
Anomalous weather conditions accompanied by unusually strong storms may have taken the "Bayesian's" crew by surprise. Metrologist Luca Mercalli explained that the surface water temperature around Sicily was around 30 degrees Celsius, 3 degrees warmer than the average for this particular season. Mercalli hypothesized that the heat energy source could potentially lead to storms this intense, although he argued against attributing the storm exclusively to global warming.
Citing an anonymous source, the British government has dispatched four investigators to Sicily to scrutinize the maritime incident. Their primary objective is to uncover whether the "Bayesian's" crew had sufficient time to prepare for the impending storm, securing the vessel beforehand.
Despite being the main host of the yacht, Mike Lynch was also among the six individuals still missing after the incident. The search and rescue operations continued with the hope of locating Mike Lynch and the other five missing passengers.
