Divers have recovered the bodies of five of the six passengers who were missing following the sinking of the luxury yacht ‘Bayesian’ off the coast of Sicily on Monday. The yacht, which was flying the British flag, sank after being struck by what is believed to be a tornado or waterspout near Porticello.
The victims include:
– Mike Lynch, a UK tech entrepreneur
– Hannah Lynch, his teenage daughter
– Jonathan Bloomer, Morgan Stanley International chair
– Judy Bloomer, his wife
– Chris Morvillo, Clifford Chance lawyer
– Neda Morvillo, his wife
The yacht, measuring 56 meters, was carrying 22 people when it sank. The body of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was located shortly after the incident.
On Wednesday afternoon, rescue teams recovered four bodies from the wreck, with a fifth body found but not yet brought back to shore. Salvo Cocina, the director-general of Sicily’s civil protection agency, confirmed the recovery and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
The Italian coastguard is working to confirm the identities of the recovered bodies, with preliminary reports suggesting that Bloomer and Morvillo have been identified. There is ongoing speculation that two of the bodies could be those of Mike Lynch and his daughter, though this has not been formally confirmed.
The search operation faced significant challenges due to the yacht’s confined space and debris obstructing the investigation. Divers, using a hydraulic jack and iron strips to open the hull, have been assisted by a remotely operated vehicle to photograph and examine the wreckage.
The bodies will be transferred to the morgue in Palermo for postmortems under the supervision of the public prosecutor of Termini Imerese, who has initiated an investigation into the incident. Additionally, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is conducting its own investigation into the sinking.
Witnesses and survivors are being questioned, including the yacht’s captain, James Cutfield, who has been described by his brother as a highly respected sailor. Both the port authority and the MAIB will investigate whether adequate safety measures were in place and will assess the vessel’s design, stability, and operational conditions.
Lord Deben, a former cabinet minister and friend of Mike Lynch, noted that Lynch was at the “beginning of a new life” following his recent acquittal in a U.S. fraud case related to his company, Autonomy.