- Four corpse-laden wreckage salvaged from submerged watercraft
After about two and a half days since the "Bayesian," a lavish yacht, sank off Sicily's coast, rescue divers have retrieved four deceased individuals from the submerged vessel. The divers found these bodies at a depth of around 50 meters inside the yacht on Wednesday.
Reportedly, among these deceased individuals is Mike Lynch (59), a renowned British billionaire, who had planned a celebratory sailing trip in the Mediterranean following a potential court acquittal. His 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was also among the victims.
The prospects of finding any survivors are now essentially nonexistent. On Wednesday evening, further suspicions arose regarding two more bodies still on board the vessel. So far, five fatalities have been confirmed.
The specifics surrounding the tragedy, which took place just half a nautical mile (around 900 meters) from the shore on Monday, remain unclear. The injured captain of the "Bayesian" was interrogated by police for hours. He stated, as reported by "La Repubblica," "We didn't see it coming." However, these statements have been met with skepticism.
A total of 22 individuals were aboard the vessel. The wealthy tech entrepreneur's wife is reported among the survivors.
Divers continue the search for victims
The sunken vessel is allegedly tilting at an angle on the seabed, making the recovery process even more arduous. On Tuesday, rescue divers managed to initially inspect some areas beneath the bridge before eventually reaching the lower deck's passenger cabins. A diving robot was also utilized.
The "Bayesian," spanning 56 meters, sank early Monday during a violent storm near the Porticello harbor, not far from Palermo's capital - reportedly within 60 seconds. Experts continue to ponder over how this catastrophe could have unfolded. Possible theories include an open hatch during a massive wave or a faulty rudder setting on the hull, capable of altering the ship's draw.
The yacht underwent extensive renovations in 2020. It was outfitted with a system capable of cutting the draft in half under normal sailing conditions while maintaining a keel depth of nearly ten meters with the fully extended rudder. The draft could even be reduced to about four meters - for instance, to enter a harbor.
Lynch is frequently referred to as the "British Bill Gates" by the British tabloid press. He orchestrated the sale of software company Autonomy to the US conglomerate Hewlett-Packard for 11 billion US dollars (currently 9.94 billion euros) in 2011 - a significant acquisition failure within the tech industry.
Lynch and his former financial manager, Steve Chamberlain, who recently perished in a car accident while jogging, were charged with deceiving Hewlett-Packard regarding the company's financial status. A jury in San Francisco cleared the two of all charges.
Despite the challenging conditions, divers are still working diligently to examine the shipwrecked "Bayesian." They aim to retrieve any remaining bodies and gather more evidence about the accident.
Investigations focus on understanding why the luxurious ship, the "Bayesian," tilted on the seabed, potentially due to an open hatch during a massive wave or a faulty rudder setting on the hull.
