'Bayesian' superyacht sinking: Search resumes for British mogul, 5 others
Italy's firefighter divers continued their search for six missing people— including a British software tycoon and his daughter—after their yacht sank off Sicily on Monday. The 180-foot British-flagged vessel, called Bayesian, was anchored near Porticello when it was hit by a waterspout—a small tornado over water—during a sudden, severe storm. Out of the 22 people aboard, 15 who reached a raft were rescued by the captain of a nearby cruise ship.
CCTV footage captures moment of superyacht's sinking
CCTV footage has captured the dramatic moment when the Bayesian was overcome by the storm. The video shows the yacht's 76-meter mast, illuminated and battered by the storm, tilting to one side before vanishing into darkness. This footage was recorded close to where the Bayesian had been anchored. The missing passengers are believed to be trapped in the yacht's hull, approximately 50 meters underwater.
Tech magnate among those missing
Salvatore Cocina, director of Sicily's Civil Protection Agency, confirmed that the missing passengers include British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter, Chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife. Italy's fire department said divers accessed the wreck during a late-night dive on Monday. They examined some cabins beneath the bridge but encountered challenges due to obstructions and narrow access points caused by furniture that shifted during the storm.
Rescuers search in Sicily
Search efforts amid challenging conditions
Due to the wreck's depth, divers are restricted to 12-minute shifts underwater. Surface searches are also underway with a helicopter and a fire brigade boat. Several divers in the current operation had also worked on the 2012 Costa Concordia disaster off Giglio Island, which killed 32 people—one of Italy's worst maritime tragedies. Efforts are ongoing to raise the yacht for examination, to determine the cause of the sinking. Until then, the exact circumstances remain speculative.
Formal investigation opened in yacht's sinking
Interstingly, Lynch, often referred to as "Britain's Bill Gates," was recently acquitted of fraud charges in a high-profile US trial. Lynch and the others went missing days after his co-defendant, Stephen Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car while jogging. Prosecutors in Termini Imerese, east of the sinking site, are now formally investigating the yacht's sinking, reports said. Notably, Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, is among those rescued from the sunken yacht.
