On Wednesday, four bodies were discovered aboard the sunken yacht belonging to the wife of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, according to sources involved in the rescue operation. The authorities did not immediately disclose the identities of the victims. Three bodies were transported to local hospitals for identification, while the fourth was being brought ashore as night approached. The Daily Telegraph reported that Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were among the deceased, though Sicily's local authorities did not confirm this. The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-metre superyacht, was carrying 22 people when it was struck by a violent storm while anchored off Porticello on Monday. Lynch, aged 59, had recently been acquitted in a U.S. fraud trial and had invited friends to celebrate aboard the yacht. Among those missing are Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda. Specialist rescue teams have been searching the yacht's hull for two days, with victims believed to be trapped in inaccessible cabins. Fifteen people escaped the yacht before it capsized, and the body of the chef, Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan national, was found near the wreck. The Bayesian lies on its side at a depth of about 50 metres, largely intact. The coast guard has deployed a remotely operated vehicle to aid in the investigation, and survivors, including the captain, are being questioned. No investigations are currently underway. Experts are puzzled by how a luxury yacht with top-tier safety features could sink so quickly. The Bayesian, owned by Lynch's wife and built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008, was last refitted in 2020 and boasted the world's tallest aluminium mast. Lynch, often compared to Bill Gates, founded the UK's largest software firm, Autonomy, which was controversially sold to HP for $11 billion in 2011. Bayesian's captain, James Cutfield, a respected sailor, survived the disaster. Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, described the incident as a 'high impact' weather-related event, possibly a rare water spout.
Text: Lara Palmer
21.08.2024
British-flagged Bayesian, carrying 22, struck by storm; identities of victims not yet confirmed