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Dramatic video shows 130ft superyacht sinking off Italy coast after being battered in storm

Nine people rescued before boat went under, article bookmarked.

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Dramatic footage has captured the moment a 40-metre superyacht sank into the Mediterranean sea after being battered in a storm.

The 40-metre-long luxury vessel was sailing from Gallipoli to Milazzo overnight on Saturday when it got into trouble around 15km from Italy’s Catanzaro Marina.

Footage shows the yacht, named My Saga, rapidly disappearing beneath waves, as lifeboats appear to float beside it.

The captain sent out a distress call to the Port Authority of Crotone, with officials told the yacht was taking on a significant amount of water from the stern.

The Italian coastguard dispatched two patrol vessels and rescued all four passengers and five crew members on board.

A tugboat sent out at dawn was unable to save the superyacht from sinking because of worsening weather conditions, the Super Yacht Times reports. The Saga finally sank at around 1pm on Sunday.

The outlet reports the yacht, which was built in Monaco back in 2007, was flying under the Cayman Islands flag with an all-Italian crew when it sunk.

An investigation has been launched into the cause.

The yacht named My Saga sank on Saturday

It comes after a £6 million superyacht sunk after it went up in flames in the UK on the Torquay harbourside.

The 85ft vessel was consumed by fire , with thick black smoking billowing into the sky.

Seized Russian superyacht to be sold at first auction of Ukraine war

The yacht reportedly drifted out into the harbour after the fire burnt through ropes securing it to the pier, but the vessel was later secured by the fire service.

A fire service statement revealed that the vessel contained approximately 8000 litres of diesel fuel.

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Italian prosecutors open a manslaughter investigation into yacht sinking off Sicily

The Associated Press

Italian firefighter divers bring ashore the body of one of the victims of a shipwreck, in Porticello, Sicily, on Friday Aug. 23.

Italian firefighter divers bring ashore the body of one of the victims of a shipwreck, in Porticello, Sicily, on Friday Aug. 23. Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse via AP hide caption

ROME — Prosecutors in Italy said Saturday they have opened an investigation into culpable shipwreck and multiple manslaughter after a superyacht capsized during a storm off the coast of Sicily, killing seven people onboard. They included British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter.

Termini Imerese prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed the investigation has been launched, but said no suspect is currently identified.

“We are only in the initial phase of the investigation. We can’t exclude any sort of development at present,” he told reporters at a news conference.

Cartosio said his team will carefully consider each possible element of responsibility, including those of the ship's captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision, the ship-builder and others.

Dive and recovery teams search for a final missing person off Porticello harbor near Palermo on Aug. 22, three days after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank.

Everyone from the sunken yacht off Sicily has now been accounted for

“For me, it is probable that offences were committed, that it could be a case of manslaughter, but we can only establish that if you give us the time to investigate," he said.

The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

Prosecutors said the event was “extremely rapid” and information they gained seemed pointing to a “downburst,” a localised, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.

Initially, Civil protection officials said they believe the yacht, which featured a distinctive 75-meter (246-feet) aluminum mast, was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout.

Investigators were also asked why the crew was almost entirely saved, except for the chef, while six passengers remained trapped in the hull.

Local official confirmed that most of the bodies recovered were found in the same part of the ship — on the left side and closer to the surface — suggesting that passengers had sought safety in the cabins where the last air bubbles had formed.

Deputy Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said it was likely that the passengers were asleep, adding that one of the main focus of the investigation is to ascertain whether they were alerted by someone.

Mike Lynch remains missing after a luxury yacht sank off of Sicily's coast. Lynch, who sold his tech firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011, had recently been acquitted of fraud charges related to the sale.

Who are Mike Lynch and the other people missing after a yacht sank in Sicily?

Cammarano confirmed that one person was on watch in the cockpit.

Rescuers on Friday brought ashore the last of seven bodies from the sinking of The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged luxury yacht that went down in a storm near the Mediterranean island in southern Italy early Monday. The sailboat was carrying a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers.

The seventh victim was Hannah Lynch, 18, the daughter of Mike Lynch., whose body was recovered Thursday. He had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial in the United States. His wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors.

Rescuers struggled for four days to find all the bodies, making only slow headway through the interior of the wreck lying on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) below the surface.

The other five victims are Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s U.S. lawyers, and his wife, Neda; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife, Judy; and Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef.

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Superyacht sinking off Italian coast caught on video

Italian coast guard rescued 4 passengers and 5 crew members from my saga superyacht.

Superyacht sinking off Italian coast caught on video

The Italian Coast Guard captured the moment a 130-foot superyacht sank into the Mediterranean Sea

Footage captured the moment disaster struck off the Italian coast.

The Italian Coast Guard released videos of 130-foot superyacht My Saga sinking into the Mediterranean Sea.

The yacht was cruising from Gallipoli to Milazzo when it began taking on water at the stern Saturday evening.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO TRAVELED ON GAS-GUZZLING PRIVATE JETS, YACHTS WHILE FUNDING CLIMATE NUISANCE LAWSUITS

superyacht sinks off italian coast

The yacht is shown listing heavily to starboard. (Italian Coast Guard)

After receiving a distress call, the Coast Guard dispatched two patrol vessels to rescue the nine people on board, and a tugboat to tow the vessel back to port in Crotone.

BREACHING WHALE JUMPS OUT OF OCEAN AND LANDS ON TOP OF A MASSACHUSETTS FISHING BOAT

During the rescue operation, the vessel was partly submerged and listed to starboard — nine miles off the coast of Catanzaro Marina. 

Footage captured what happened next as the vessel’s bow went up into the air. Rescuers forfeited the operation and the steel-hulled yacht rapidly disappeared beneath the waves stern-first.

My Saga superyacht sinks off italian coast

The yacht lists heavily to starboard before submerging underwater. (Italian Coast Guard)

The Italian Coast Guard reported that harsh weather and sea conditions, in addition to the increasing incline of the vessel on its starboard, made retrieving My Saga "impractical."

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superyacht sinks off italian coast

The yacht rapidly sank underwater stern-first. (Italian Coast Guard)

My Saga was the first yacht of its caliber that Monaco Yachting and Technologies had built by 2007. The yacht was purchased by an undisclosed owner in 2022, according to SuperYacht Times.

The Italian Coast Guard has launched an "administrative investigation" to identify the cause of the incident, according to a translation of the Coast Guard’s Facebook post.

Rachel Paik is a Fox News Digital Production Assistant.

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Who was on superyacht that sank off Sicily?

Twenty-two people were on board the Bayesian superyacht including British technology tycoon Mike Lynch, his wife and 18-year-old daughter, and Morgan Stanley International boss Jonathan Bloomer.

Friday 23 August 2024 12:34, UK

Pics: Reuters/Hiscox/ Linkedin /Getty

Details have emerged of the 22 people who were on board the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily.

The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it got into difficulty in the early hours of Monday.

Seven bodies have now been recovered. The other 15 people on board were rescued.

Here's what we know about those who were on the yacht.

Follow latest updates on the superyacht sinking

yacht sinking mediterranean

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch was among the original six people missing. On Thursday, divers confirmed his body had been recovered.

Raised in Ilford, east London by Irish parents, the 59-year-old made millions with the software company Autonomy he set up in 1996.

He had an estimated net worth of £852m, according to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, and is believed to have owned the yacht.

Off the back of Automomy's global success, Mr Lynch was given the roles of science adviser to former prime minister David Cameron and non-executive director of the BBC.

The Cambridge maths and sciences graduate sold the firm for £8.64bn to US giant Hewlett Packard (HP) in 2011.

Dubbed the "British Bill Gates", Mr Lynch has been in the headlines in recent months over a high-profile fraud case related to the sale of Autonomy to HP in 2011.

HP accused him of deliberately overstating the value of the company before it was acquired by the American technology firm. Mr Lynch denied any wrongdoing.

In June, a US jury cleared him of all charges .

Read more: Lynch's co-defendant dies days before yacht disaster

Hannah Lynch

yacht sinking mediterranean

Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch was also on board. A body believed to be that of the teenager was recovered on Friday from the yacht wreckage.

She had been on holiday with her parents, having secured a place to study English at the University of Oxford, according to reports.

Her former school, Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said they were "incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic accident" when the yacht first sank.

Angela Bacares

Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares was on board the yacht and was rescued.

The 57-year-old said she and Mr Lynch were awoken by the boat "tilting" at 4am - half an hour before it sank.

Jonathan Bloomer

Jonathan Bloomer is the chairman of Morgan Stanley Pic: Hiscox/ Linkedin

Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley International, was confirmed dead on Thursday.

According to the Financial Times, Mr Bloomer appeared as a defence witness for Mr Lynch during his US criminal trial and the pair were good friends. He also chaired Autonomy's audit committee.

The 70-year-old was the chief executive of UK-Hong Kong insurer Prudential until he was ousted by the board in 2005.

He was also chairman of the insurance provider Hiscox.

Judy Bloomer

Mr Bloomer's wife Judy was on the yacht trip with her husband. Divers confirmed they found her body on Thursday.

Mrs Bloomer was a former board member at The Eve Appeal charity, which focuses on gynaecological cancers.

The charity described her as a "brilliant champion for women's health and medical research... an incredible supporter, committee member, and trustee of our charity for over 20 years".

Read more: 'Alarming' potential cause of superyacht disaster What we know about superyacht that sank

Recaldo Thomas

yacht sinking mediterranean

The yacht's on-board chef Recaldo Thomas died in the sinking.

He was Canadian-Antiguan and part of the crew of the Bayesian.

His body was the first to be recovered from the wreckage.

Chris Morvillo

Christopher Morvillo Pic: Clifford Chance handout

US lawyer Chris Morvillo was among those divers found dead on Thursday.

The father-of-two worked on Mr Lynch's US fraud trial and was a partner of law firm Clifford Chance's US branch.

Mr Morvillo was assistant attorney for the Southern District of New York between 1995 and 2005 and worked on the terrorist investigation into the 9/11 attacks.

In a recent LinkedIn post, he thanked the legal team that helped win Mr Lynch's trial.

Signing off the post, he said: "And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.

"None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after…."

Neda Morvillo

yacht sinking mediterranean

Mr Morvillo's wife Neda died in the disaster alongside her husband.

The 57-year-old had a luxury jewellery brand, which she ran under her maiden name Neda Nassiri.

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Ayla Ronald

Ayla Ronald. Pic: Clifford Chance

Ayla Ronald, a senior associate at Clifford Chance, survived the yacht disaster, the law firm confirmed.

The 36-year-old worked alongside Chris Morvillo in helping defend Mike Lynch in court.

Clifford Chance said in a statement: "Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident."

She is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but lives in London, her father told local media there.

He said she was left "very shaken" but "she and her partner are alive".

Charlotte Golunski

Charlotte Golunski

Charlotte Golunski was on board the yacht and was rescued along with her one-year-old daughter, Sofia.

She spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, confirming she survived the yacht sinking and told how she kept her daughter alive after she was rescued.

"I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning," she said.

"It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."

The 35-year-old is a partner at one of Mr Lynch's firms - Invoke Capital - and has worked there since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She also worked at Hewlett Packard, which acquired Autonomy in 2011, for 11 months.

Before that, she studied history at the University of Oxford.

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yacht sinking mediterranean

James Emsley

Ms Golunski's partner James Emsley was also rescued from the yacht, according to Sicily's civil protection agency.

The 36-year-old is the father of her one-year-old daughter.

James Cutfield

The 51-year-old captain of the yacht spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica after he was rescued.

Mr Cutfield, from New Zealand, was taken for treatment at the Termini Imerese emergency unit, where he told the newspaper: "We didn't see it coming."

Leah Randall

Leah Randall after she was brought ashore in Porticello on Monday. Pic: Reuters

Leah Randall was part of the Bayesian crew and survived the sinking.

She was pictured going ashore in Porticello on Monday morning and is from South Africa.

Her mother Heidi told Sky News said she was "beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God".

"It doesn't make it any easier living with the heartache of those who have lost their lives [or are] missing. My very deepest condolences to the chef's family as they formed a great friendship," she said.

Katja Chicken

Stewardess Katja Chicken coming ashore in Porticello on Monday. Pic: Reuters

Katja Chicken was another South African member of crew on board the Bayesian and was pictured being brought to safety in Porticello on Monday.

Leo Eppel. Pic: Reuters

The Italian coastguard confirmed on Tuesday evening that Leo Eppel, a crew member, also survived the yacht sinking.

Related Topics

  • Superyacht sinking

Crew members on Mike Lynch's yacht tell of moments it sank off Sicily

Divers Retrieve Bodies From Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch Yacht Sunk Off Sicily

Crew members on Mike Lynch’s yacht have spoken of the moments when a storm sank the vessel off Sicily and their efforts to help save passengers, after a disaster that killed the British tech tycoon and six other people.

Matthew Griffiths, who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster two weeks ago, told investigators that the crew members did everything they could to save those on board the Bayesian , according to comments reported by Italian news agency Ansa on Saturday.

Griffiths, the boat’s captain James Cutfield, and ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton have been placed under investigation by the Italian authorities for potential manslaughter and shipwreck . Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow.

“I woke up the captain when the wind was at 20 knots (23 mph). He gave orders to wake everyone else,” Ansa quoted Griffiths as saying.

“The ship tilted and we were thrown into the water. Then we managed to get back up and tried to rescue those we could,” he added, describing the events of the early hours of Aug. 19, when the Bayesian had been anchored off the Sicilian port of Porticello .

“We were walking on the walls (of the boat). We saved who we could, Cutfield also saved the little girl and her mother,” he said, referring to passenger Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter. In all there were 15 survivors of the wreck.

Cutfield exercised his right to remain silent when questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday, his lawyers said, saying he was “worn out” and that they needed more time to build a defense case.

Before this, Cutfield gave a similar description to Griffiths’ to investigators, according to comments reported on Sunday by Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera.

Cutfield said the boat tilted by 45 degrees and stayed in that position for some time, then it suddenly fell completely to the right, the newspaper reported.

Parker Eaton had not previously commented on the investigation. On Sunday, Il Corriere quoted him as saying that all doors and hatches were closed when the storm hit the boat, except one giving access to the engine room.

That door was located on the side opposite to the tilting and so could not be a factor causing the sinking, he said.

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said last week that the vessel was most likely hit by a “downburst,” a very strong downward wind.

The sinking has puzzled naval marine experts, who said a vessel like the Bayesian, built by Italian high-end yacht manufacturer Perini, should have withstood the storm and, in any case, should not have sunk as quickly as it did.

Prosecutors in the town of Termini Imerese, near Palermo , have said their investigation will take time, with the wreck yet to be salvaged from the sea.

NBC New York

British tech magnate Mike Lynch, 2 US citizens among missing after luxury yacht sinks off Sicily

15 people were rescued and one body believed to be the cook was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for and believed inside the hull, by andrea rosa and nicole winfield | the associated press • published august 19, 2024 • updated on august 19, 2024 at 6:21 pm.

British tech magnate Mike Lynch and five other people were missing after their luxury sailing yacht sank during a freak storm off Sicily early Monday, Italy’s civil protection and authorities said. Lynch’s wife and 14 other people survived.

Lynch, who was  acquitted in June  in a big U.S. fraud trial, was among six people who remain unaccounted for after their chartered sailboat sank off Porticello, when a tornado over the water known as a waterspout struck the area overnight, said Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency.

One body was recovered, and police divers spent the day trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was resting at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet) off Porticello where it had been anchored, rescue authorities said. They returned to the site after 10 p.m. to see if it would be possible to search through the night, when weather conditions were expected to worsen, said Luca Cari, spokesman of the fire rescue service.

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It had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, the Italian coast guard said. A sudden fierce storm had battered the area overnight, and struck the place precisely where the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged Bayesian had been moored.

“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Cocina, noting that another superyacht nearby wasn't as badly damaged and helped rescue some of the 15 survivors, who included Lynch's wife Angela Bacares.

The Bayesian was notable for its single 75-meter (246-feet) mast — one of the world’s tallest made of aluminum and which was lit up at night, just hours before it sank. Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $215,000) a week.

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One of the survivors, identified as Charlotte Golunski, said she momentarily lost hold of her 1-year-old daughter Sofia in the water, but then managed to hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were both pulled to safety, Italian news agency ANSA reported, quoting the mother. The father, James Emsley, also survived, said Cocina.

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Karsten Borner, the captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, said he had noticed the Bayesian nearby during the storm but after it calmed he saw a red flare and realized the ship had simply disappeared, ANSA and the Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported. Borner said he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some of them injured, who they then took aboard and alerted the coast guard.

Eight of those rescued were hospitalized while the others were taken to a hotel. One body believed to be the cook was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for and believed inside the hull, said Cari, the fire rescue spokesperson. The rescue operations, which were visible from shore, involved helicopters and rescue boats from the coast guard, fire rescue and civil protection service.

#Palermo , naufragio imbarcazione a Porticello: recuperato dai #sommozzatori dei #vigilidelfuoco il corpo senza vita di un uomo, all’esterno del relitto. Proseguono le operazioni di ricerca con il coordinamento in mare della @guardiacostiera [ #19agosto 11:30] pic.twitter.com/Y2m9o5ohCe — Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 19, 2024

Fisherman Francesco Cefalu’ said he had seen a flare from shore at around 4:30 a.m. and immediately set out to the site but by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk, with only cushions, wood and other items from the superyacht floating in the water.

“But for the rest, we didn’t find anyone,” he said from the port hours later. He said that he immediately alerted the coast guard and stayed on site for three hours, but didn't find any survivors. “I think they are inside, all the missing people.”

He said he had been up early to check the weather to see if he could go fishing, and surmised that a sudden waterspout had struck the yacht.

“It could be that the mast broke, or the anchor at the prow pulled it, I don’t know,” he said.

Cocina said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries: In addition to Britain and the United States, passengers and crew were from Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain, he said.

Among the dead and missing, four were British, two were American, and one was a man with dual citizenship from Canada and Antigua, according to Luciano Pischedda, the Italian Coast Guard official overseeing the rescue operations.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was “providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families.”

Dutch foreign ministry spokesperson Casper Soetekouw said the lone Dutch citizen on board, a man, had been rescued and was not in life-threatening condition.

Lynch, once hailed as Britain’s king of technology, was cleared in June of fraud and conspiracy charges related to Hewlett Packard’s $11 billion takeover of his company, Autonomy Corp.

The not-guilty verdicts followed an 11-week criminal trial in San Francisco that delved into the history of HP’s  2011 acquisition  of Autonomy, a business software firm founded by Lynch.

The  fraud accusations  represented a dramatic turn in the fortunes of an entrepreneur once described as the Bill Gates of Britain — a title he seemed to live up to when he netted an $800 million from the Autonomy sale.

The acquittal vindicated Lynch, who had vehemently denied wrong doing and portrayed HP as a technological train wreck.

“I’m looking forward to returning the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” Lynch said in a statement released after the verdict.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate 12 passengers in four double cabins, a triple and the master suite, plus crew accommodations, according to Charter World and Yacht Charters.

The vessel, which previously was named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag, featured a sleek, minimalist interior of light wood with Japanese accents designed by the French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions and photos on the charter sites.

AP writers Danica Kirka and Sylvia Hui contributed from London.

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After yacht sinks, experts say Mediterranean growing more dangerous

By Antonella Cinelli and Gavin Jones

ROME (Reuters) - The shipwreck of a luxury yacht moored off the coast of Sicily is the latest sign that the Mediterranean is becoming a more dangerous sea to sail in, climate experts and skippers say.

One man died and six people are still missing, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after the Bayesian, a 56-metre-long (184-ft) sailboat, was hit by a ferocious storm on Monday, sinking in a matter of minutes.

Climatologists say global warming is making such violent and unexpected tempests more frequent in a sea used as a summer playground for millions of tourists, including a wealthy few sailing its waters on superyachts.

Luca Mercalli, president of Italy's meteorological society, said the sea surface temperature around Sicily in the days leading up to the shipwreck was about 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), almost three degrees more than normal.

"This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," he told Reuters.

The changes in "Mare Nostrum" (Our Sea), as the ancient Romans called the Mediterranean, are also being noticed by experienced skippers such as Massimo Aramu, who runs the Akua sailing school on the coast near the Italian capital.

Currently sailing around Greece, Aramu said he did not like navigating Italy's Tyrrhenian coast around Sicily or the Spanish Balearic islands because there are "often critical situations with little warning".

Last week, a storm similar to the one that sank the Bayesian hit the Balearic archipelago, which includes the islands of Ibiza and Mallorca, leaving several yachts washed up ashore.

Giuliano Gallo, a former skipper who crossed the Atlantic and has written several books on sailing, said the Mediterranean was becoming more like the Caribbean, which has areas that many boats steer clear of at certain times of the year.

"But things are less predictable in the Mediterranean," he said.

Another sign of the more erratic weather in the Mediterranean was seen a year ago when thousands of people were killed in Libya by flash floods triggered by a so-called medicane - a supercharged Mediterranean storm fuelled by warmer seas.

Karsten Borner, the captain of a boat that was moored alongside the Bayesian but escaped harm, said Monday's storm had been "very violent, very intense, a lot of water and I think a turning system like a tornado".

He also blamed more frequent episodes of intense heat during the summer months for playing a role in causing such storms.

"The water is ... way too hot for the Mediterranean and this causes for sure heavy storms, like we had one week ago on the Balearics, like we had two years ago in Corsica and so on," he said.

(Additional reporting by Gavin Jones and Giselda Vagnoni; Writing by Gavin Jones; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Helen Popper)

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Video shows 40-metre superyacht sinking off Italy's Catanzaro coast

'my saga' sank on saturday while sailing from gallipoli to milazzo, italian local media reported.

August 23, 2022

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Your weekly update from the UK and Europe

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yacht sinking mediterranean

Bayesian yacht sinking: Horror of those trapped in bedrooms described by former captain

LIVE – Updated at 11:14

A former captain of the Bayesian has described the terrifying obstacles facing those trapped in the cabins as the Bayesian superyacht overturned killing seven.

Stephen Edwards, who captained the Bayesian for five years until 2020, told The Telegraph : “Those who stayed curled up in bed were in the worst situation.

“The storm hit hard, placing them in the melee of flying furniture, glass and other items,” he said adding he had spoken to traumatised crew members.

“Inside the cabins, the only way to think of this is that people were lying in their beds one minute, and the next the room was on its side, totally dark, with the door now either in the floor or in the ceiling above.”

It came as divers race to retrieve Mike Lynch’s personal hard drives locked in a safe on the ocean floor, according to reports.

Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported that the tech billionaire, whose clients included MI5, the NSA and the Israeli secret service, didn’t trust confidential documents on the cloud and kept two encrypted hard drives in a safe which now lies 49 metres below sea level.

Italian navy recover video equipment

  • Two encrypted hard drives of Mike Lynch remain 49m underwater locked in safe - report

Professor fears more deaths by ‘medicanes’ after Bayesian tragedy

Mike lynch’s yacht was ‘unsinkable’, says boss of company who built boat.

  • Seven key unanswered questions around the sinking of the Bayesian

Mike Lynch net worth: How the billionaire made his money

Mike Lynch was frequently described as the Bill Gates of Britain for founding Autonomy – one of the biggest software firms on the planet

Former captain describes horror of those trapped in cabins

Stephen Edwards, who captained the Bayesian for five years until 2020, told the Telegraph that he had spoken to crew members onboard during the sinking who recounted the horrors facing those onboard.

He said: “The storm hit hard, placing them in the melee of flying furniture, glass and other items.

“Some had made it to the saloon at this point and they are the ones who survived, as their route outside would have been a little clearer.

“Inside the cabins, the only way to think of this is that people were lying in their beds one minute, and the next the room was on its side, totally dark, with the door now either in the floor or in the ceiling above.

“Cabinets crashed open as the catches were weak, resulting in glassware and crockery falling out. I’m told almost all the furniture broke loose inside the boat.”

Mike Lynch’s wife, along with 14 others, survived and were rescued by a nearby vessel that was unscathed.

Italian Navy divers have recovered video surveillance equipment from the wreckage of billionaire Mike Lynch’s Bayesian superyacht that could explain how it sank.

The British tech tycoon’s boat had been moored near the port of Porticello on 19 August when it sank during the early hours of the morning. It is now lying 50m below the surface.

Among those killed were Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who had been due to begin studying at Oxford University in September, as well as four other family friends and associates.

Divers hunting for clues on how Mike Lynch’s superyacht sank make discovery

What happens now weeks after tragic sinking?

Prosecutors are investigating the captain , New Zealander James Cutfield, and two crew members for possible responsibility in connection with the sinking.

Mr Cutfield is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges. Tim Parker Eaton — the engineer who was in charge of securing the yacht’s engine room — and sailor Matthew Griffith — who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster — are now under investigation for the same possible charges, their lawyer said.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is heading the investigation, has said his team will consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

Investigators are focusing on how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed. They added raising the Bayesian and examining the yacht for evidence would provide key elements to the investigation.

Maritime director of western Sicily, Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda of the coastguard, could not confirm how long it would take to retrieve the shipwreck of the sunken yacht, adding recovering the fuel tanks was a “priority for us because it has environmental knock-on effects”.

Special forces divers and robots search Mike Lynch’s sunken Bayesian yacht for clues

Specialist military divers are currently searching the sunken Bayesian yacht for clues as to why it sunk in a freak storm off the coast of Siciliy, killing seven passengers.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s boat had been moored near the port of Porticello on 19 August when it sank during the early hours of the morning, and is now lying 50 metres below the surface of the water.

About six divers from the Italian navy ’s Comsubin unit are investigating the superyacht for electronic equipment, which includes data storage and CCTV and to see if doors were left open during the storm.

Holly Evans reports:

Chris Morvillo and wife drowned aboard Bayesian

Italian authorities said the first post-mortem examinations on the victims had been carried out on US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda . The results confirmed that the pair had drowned.

Morvillo was a partner at Clifford Chance, a white-collar law firm. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor who investigated the September 11 terror attacks, according to the New York Post .

Investigators hope to recover data on sinking of Bayesian

Navy divers recovered hard drives of the video surveillance system on board the Bayesian hopefully revealing the final moments before the tragic sinking of the superyacht.

In the engine room there were the hard disks that catalogued the parameters regarding the electric and thermal propulsion.

“We hope to be able to read something from the media”, an investigator told La Repubblica. They added “Unfortunately they are standard models that are not resistant to water and pressure”.

There was no black box on board the 700-tonne sailing vessel that sank in minutes. It was not required to have one, as it was not a commercial cruise ship.

'Mike Lynch files may be target for hostile spy agencies’

Divers are searching the sea floor for Mike Lynch’s high-tech hard drives before they can fall into enemy hands reports La Repubblica - Italy’s second-biggest newspaper.

Sources told the paper the disks held: “the great digital archive of the IT entrepreneur whose clients included the British MI5, the American NSA and the Israeli services”.

The Italian newspaper said the “super drives” are protected by “cutting-edge encryption”.

The Sun reported the drives now could be a target for the hostile spy agencies of Russia, China, and Iran as they seek to steal valuable secrets.

Autopsies reveal cause of death of US lawyer and wife onboard Mike Lynch’s superyacht

Autopsies have been carried out on a couple who drowned on Mike Lynch’s superyacht when it sank off the coast of Sicily last month.

Seven lives were lost when the British-flagged boat, called the Bayesian, went down in a freak storm while anchored near the Sicilian capital of Palermo on 19 August.

Darktrace to be taken over after Mike Lynch’s death

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Darktrace AI interrupts in-progress cyber-attacks in seconds, including ransomware, email phishing, and threats to cloud environments.

It marks one of the biggest take-private deals for a London-listed company in recent years, and will see Darktrace leave the FTSE 100 on October 1.

Poppy Gustafsson helped to set up the Cambridge-based company in 2013 alongside Autonomy founder Mike Lynch.

Mr Lynch, and his daughter Hannah, were among seven people to die after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily last month.

Bodies flown back to UK on private planes - report

The bodies of Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, 18, and the other victims of the Bayesian disaster have been flown back to their families after their post-mortems, according to reports.

They were repatriated on private planes, with their private funerals expected to be held over the coming days, Italian media reports.

The British tech tycoon ’s boat had been moored near the port of Porticello on 19 August when it sank during the early hours of the morning . It is now lying 50m below the surface.

Among those killed were Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who had been due to begin studying at Oxford University in September, as well as four other family friends and associates .

Jonathan Bloomer, the international chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank; his wife Judith, a psychotherapist; Christopher Morvillo, a US lawyer; and his wife Neda, a jewellery designer also died in the sinking.

Also killed was the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, whose body was recovered floating near the wreckage.

Four victims found with carbon dioxide in lungs

Tech billionaire Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, 18, and five other people died when the Bayesian went down in a downburst, which is similar to a small tornado.

Chef Recaldo Thomas, Jonathan Bloomer, the Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, his wife Judy, and Chris Morvillo, a Clifford Chance lawyer, and his wife Neda, were the other victims of the August 19 tragedy.

Four of the victims are feared to have suffocated to death in air bubbles that filled with carbon dioxide, according to their autopsies raising the frightening possibility that they may have been conscious after the yacht sank, according to Italian news outlet La Republica.

Fifteen people, including Angela Bacares, Lynch’s wife, survived when they were rescued by a nearby yacht.

Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, said there are no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian and it is “one of the safest boats in the world”.

The Bayesian, a 184-ft superyacht carrying 22 passengers and crew, was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it disappeared beneath the waves in a matter of minutes after a freak tornado struck.

“The ship sank because it took on water, from where investigators will have to say,” Mr Costantino told television news programme TG1.

He suggested that the sinking was down to a series of human errors.

The CEO said that had the crew shut all doors and hatches, turned on the engine, lifted the anchor, lowered the keel and turned the yacht to face the wind, they would have suffered “zero damage”.

He added that data showed it took 16 minutes from when the wind began for it to sink.

Cartoisio said the tragedy will be even more painful if the sinking was caused by “behaviours that were not aligned to the responsibilities that everyone needs to take in shipping”.

Bodies of Mike Lynch and daughter Hannah flown back to families after Bayesian superyacht sinking

The bodies of those who died after the billionaire Mike Lynch’s Bayesian superyacht sunk off the coast of Sicily have been flown back to their families by private jet.

Italian publication Giornale di Sicilia reported post-mortem examinations were completed at a Palermo hospital and the bodies have now been returned.

My colleague Tom Watling reports:

Bodies of Mike Lynch and daughter flown back to UK after Bayesian tragedy

Captain gives his account of tragic sinking

Captain James Cutfield previously gave his terrifying account before invoking his right to remain silent.

According to Correire, he told prosecutors: “Seaman Griffiths came to wake me up and told me that there were 20 knots of wind.

“I looked at the instruments and indeed that was the case. I went out immediately and asked them to warn everyone because I didn’t like the situation.”

He said the Bayesian tilted 45 degrees “and remained like that for a bit and then suddenly fell to the right.

“We were catapulted into the sea”.

Seaman Matthew Griffiths, 22, said: “We somehow climbed back up to the bridge and tried to form a human chain to save those who managed to reach that gap from the accommodation deck ... they were struggling on the walls because the boat was lying in the water.

“The first in the chain was the captain who stretched down. He helped everyone, the ladies, the mother with the little girl ... But we were sinking and unfortunately some didn’t make it .”

Mr Griffiths joins fellow Brit Tim Parker-Eaton, 56, and Kiwi skipper James Cutfield, 51, on the official list of those being formally investigated for shipwreck and multiple manslaughter.

Being investigated does not equate to being charged and is a procedural step.

Professor Yoav Yair, Dean of the School of Sustainability at Reichman University in Israel, told the Mirror that storms dubbed ‘medicanes’ - Mediterranean hurricanes - could cause similar sinkings like the Bayesian superyacht.

He said: “It is not a matter of if this (the Bayesian disaster) will happen again, but rather it’s when and where.

“In the last couple of years we have seen medicanes - which are a new phenomena. These are hurricane-like storms that pack a lot of energy, and create flash flooding, torrential rains, lightning, hail and severe sustained winds. The 2023 “Daniel” medicane destroyed Libya and caused over 30,000 deaths there.

“The sea surface temperature has risen globally and in the Med as well, charging the atmosphere with increased fluxes of water vapor, which means a higher potential for massive storms.”

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The EU is failing to dissuade African migrants despite spending billions, auditors say

Migration italy.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is failing develop ways to dissuade migrants from Africa leaving for Europe without authorization and could do more to limit abuses against people trying to make the journey, the EU’s financial watchdog warned on Wednesday.

The findings come in a European Court of Auditors report into the bloc’s Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, a multi-billion-euro program hastily set up in 2015 after more than 1 million migrants arrived on Europe’s shores, many of them fleeing war in Syria, overwhelming services in Italy and Greece.

It was meant to help tackle the root causes of migration in Africa, like poverty, conflict or unemployment. At first, 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) was available to distribute on hundreds of projects, but that amount has swelled to about 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) today.

The fund is managed by the EU’s powerful executive branch, the European Commission.

“Despite the lessons learned … the commission is still unable to identify and report the most efficient and effective approaches to reducing irregular migration,” lead EU auditor on the investigation Bettina Jakobsen told reporters.

Jakobsen said that the commission should “target the aid more thoroughly into what is actually urgent and needed in specific areas and specific countries.”

She also said that “human rights risks have not been properly addressed by the commission, and that there are weaknesses in the accuracy and sustainability of the reported results.” In addition, Brussels “lacked adequate procedures for recording and follow up of allegations of violations of human rights.”

The auditors were aware of 10 officers who reported possible rights abuses in different parts of Africa, but the commission only had a record of one allegation. The auditors could not establish whether that case was followed up.

The use of the fund in Libya — one of the main jumping off points for people desperate to try to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe — was also a point of focus in the report.

A U.N.-appointed investigator has said that EU assistance to Libya’s migration department and coast guard “has aided and abetted the commission of the crimes,” including crimes against humanity. The commission rejects the allegation.

The auditors warned of flaws involving the use of funds and equipment meant to improve maritime surveillance and reduce deaths at sea in Libya. The International Organization for Migration estimates that around 30,000 people have died or gone missing trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014.

The report said EU-funded “equipment could be used by actors other than the intended beneficiaries,” or that Libyan staff trained by Europeans “may not be committed to the do-no-harm principle.” Beneficiaries of the funds might also refuse to allow monitors to check how they use the money.

In December, the auditors visited the site of a maritime rescue coordination center on the Libyan coast. Italy was tasked in 2017 with helping the Libyans to set it up. Millions of euros were earmarked for the task and containers of equipment sent, but seven years on it is still not operational.

Under international rules governing the safety of life at sea — rules that are recognized and accepted by the EU — Libya must have such a center and permanently staff it. In the meantime, Italy has mostly coordinated the effort in Libya’s waters, deciding which ships should respond to emergencies.

The commission, for its part, mostly accepted the report’s recommendations on how to improve things.

It acknowledged “that there is a need to further reinforce its capacity to identify and mitigate risks, including by defining specific activities or output indicators in high risks sectors for human rights. This will be addressed by providing more detailed sectoral guidance material and training.”

The commission underlined that, as of last year, the fund had helped to send 73,215 migrants voluntarily back to their home countries. In the first half of 2023, it said, 11,087 jobs were created or supported, mostly in Guinea and Senegal, while 23,266 people received skills training.

Follow AP’s coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

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IMAGES

  1. WATCH: 130-Foot Super Yacht Sinks In Mediterranean

    yacht sinking mediterranean

  2. Video Captures Super Yacht Sinking Into Mediterranean Sea

    yacht sinking mediterranean

  3. Superyacht sinks off the coast of Greek island, Mykonos

    yacht sinking mediterranean

  4. Italian Coast Guard shares video capturing moment of 40-metre

    yacht sinking mediterranean

  5. The superyacht sinking Moment into the Mediterranean Sea caught on

    yacht sinking mediterranean

  6. Watch terrifying scenes from sinking yacht inferno

    yacht sinking mediterranean

COMMENTS

  1. Video shows moments before superyacht went down in storm off Sicily

    Aug. 20, 2024, 4:16 PM PDT. By Henry Austin and Corky Siemaszko. Newly released video captures a luxury superyacht being battered by a violent storm before it suddenly sank off Sicily with 22 ...

  2. A tornado likely sunk the Bayesian yacht. Experts say the Mediterranean

    The storm that sank the superyacht was sudden, violent and deadly. It may be a warning of what's to come as global warming fuels more extreme weather in the Mediterranean.

  3. Bodies found inside luxury yacht that sank off Sicily

    Divers recovered four bodies Wednesday from inside a superyacht that sank in a sudden storm off Sicily, Salvatore Cocina, director of the island's Civil Protection Agency, confirmed to NBC News.

  4. Italian prosecutors widen probe into superyacht that sank off Sicily to

    The three crew members were among 15 survivors of the Aug. 19 sinking that killed British tech magnate Mike Lynch, ... The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged luxury yacht, went down near Sicily, in the Mediterranean. Investigators are focusing on how a sailing vessel deemed "unsinkable" by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard ...

  5. What we know about the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of

    A life boat is docked at the harbor of Porticello, southern Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. Rescue teams and divers returned to the site of a storm-sunken superyacht Tuesday to search for six people, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch, who are believed to be still trapped in the hull 50 meters (164-feet) underwater.

  6. Luxury yacht sinks off Sicily in storm; 1 dead and 6 missing

    Built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008, the U.K.-registered Bayesian has an aluminum hull and can carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist yacht sites.

  7. Dramatic video shows 130ft superyacht sinking off Italy coast after

    A tugboat sent out at dawn was unable to save the superyacht from sinking because of worsening weather conditions, the Super Yacht Times reports. The Saga finally sank at around 1pm on Sunday. The ...

  8. Video shows 131-foot superyacht sink in Mediterranean Sea

    Video shows 131-foot superyacht sink in Mediterranean Sea. Link Copied! Authorities saved all passengers and crew members aboard the vessel that sank about 9 miles off the coast of Catanzaro ...

  9. Prosecutors are investigating the captain of superyacht that sank off

    The 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged luxury yacht went down near the Mediterranean island in southern Italy. Investigators are focusing on how a sailing vessel deemed "unsinkable" by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

  10. Bayesian yacht: Fifth body found in search for those missing from

    The yacht sank after a small waterspout - a type of tornado - spun over the Mediterranean island, likely capsizing the boat, which was anchored about a half a mile from the port of Porticello.

  11. Superyacht sinks latest: Investigators reveal where bodies were found

    A yacht crew member who survived the sinking has paid tribute to Hannah Lynch, calling her a "diamond in a sea of stars". Sasha Murray, chief stewardess of the Bayesian, has released a statement ...

  12. Watch Superyacht Sinking off Italian Coast After Crew ...

    Published Aug 24, 2022 at 9:15 AM EDT. By Michael Leidig, Zenger News. This is the dramatic moment a 130-foot-long superyacht sank in the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Italy. The footage ...

  13. Bayesian yacht sinking: What factors might have caused boat to sink

    In the last week, the Mediterranean has registered its highest sea surface temperature on record, which has helped to energise this recent storm outbreak. ... Sicily yacht sinking. Sailing. Italy ...

  14. Italian prosecutors open a manslaughter investigation into yacht

    Rescuers on Friday brought ashore the last of seven bodies from the sinking of The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged luxury yacht that went down in a storm near the Mediterranean ...

  15. After yacht sinks, experts say Mediterranean growing more dangerous

    The shipwreck of a luxury yacht moored off the coast of Sicily is the latest sign that the Mediterranean is becoming a more dangerous sea to sail in, climate experts and skippers say.

  16. Moment superyacht sinks off the coast of Italy

    Footage has emerged of the moment a superyacht completely sank into the Mediterranean Sea. The 40-metre vessel got into difficulty about 15km off the Catanzaro Marina in Italy.

  17. Superyacht sinking off Italian coast caught on video

    The Italian Coast Guard captured the moment a 130-foot superyacht sank into the Mediterranean Sea stern-first, after My Saga's captain issued a distress call.

  18. Video shows massive 130-foot yacht sink into the sea

    Updated: Aug 23, 2022 / 09:01 PM CDT. (NewsNation) — Dramatic video shows a massive 130-foot yacht slowly sinking into the sea. The footage gathered by the Italian Coast Guard captured the impressive vessel being slowly swallowed up by the Mediterranean, just nine miles off the coast of Italy. The Coast Guard scrambled to rescue nine people ...

  19. Who was on superyacht that sank off Sicily?

    The yacht's on-board chef Recaldo Thomas died in the sinking. He was Canadian-Antiguan and part of the crew of the Bayesian. His body was the first to be recovered from the wreckage.

  20. Crew members on Mike Lynch's yacht tell of moments it sank off Sicily

    Sept. 1, 2024, 7:04 AM PDT / Source: Reuters. By Reuters. Crew members on Mike Lynch's yacht have spoken of the moments when a storm sank the vessel off Sicily and their efforts to help save ...

  21. 1 dead, 6 missing after luxury yacht Bayesian sinks off Sicily

    British tech magnate Mike Lynch, 2 US citizens among missing after luxury yacht sinks off Sicily 15 people were rescued and one body believed to be the cook was found near the wreck, but six ...

  22. After yacht sinks, experts say Mediterranean growing more dangerous

    The shipwreck of a luxury yacht moored off the coast of Sicily is the latest sign that the Mediterranean is becoming a more dangerous sea to sail in, climate experts and skippers say. One man died and six people are still missing, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after the Bayesian, a 56-metre-long (184-ft) sailboat, was hit by a ferocious storm on Monday, sinking in a matter of ...

  23. Yacht sinks off the coast of Italy

    Video shows 40-metre superyacht sinking off Italy's Catanzaro coast. A 40-metre yacht has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea after running into trouble about nine nautical miles (17 kilometres) off the coast of Catanzaro in Italy. The My Saga, flying the flag of the Cayman Islands and with an Italian crew, sank at about 1pm on Saturday while sailing ...

  24. Bayesian yacht sinking: Horror of those trapped in bedrooms described

    Also killed was the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas, whose body was recovered floating near the wreckage. Four victims found with carbon dioxide in lungs Tuesday 17 September 2024 14:44 , Barney Davis

  25. The EU is failing to dissuade African migrants despite spending

    The image made from a video provided by the Italian coast guard shows a patrol boat rescuing migrants from a sinking ship off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. ... died or gone missing trying to ...

  26. The EU is failing to dissuade African migrants despite spending

    The image made from a video provided by the Italian coast guard shows a patrol boat rescuing migrants from a sinking ship off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. (Italian Coast Guard via AP) ... Organization for Migration estimates that around 30,000 people have died or gone missing trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014.