yacht sinks hillarys

One person dead and six missing after superyacht with 22 on board is sunk by tornado off coast of Italy

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among those unaccounted for after the ship was battered by a tornado off the coast of Palermo in the early hours of Monday morning.

Sunday 25 August 2024 08:46, UK

A man has died and six people are missing after a UK-flagged superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily in a tornado - with a prominent British businessman among those unaccounted for.

Technology tycoon Mike Lynch owned the 56-metre vessel (183ft), named Bayesian.

Mr Lynch, known as the "British Bill Gates", has been in the headlines in recent months over a high-profile fraud case.

In June, he was cleared of all charges by a US jury related to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah is among those missing after his yacht sank, local media reports.

Follow live updates: People missing after superyacht sinks

Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares is confirmed to be among the 15 people who were rescued after the British-flagged yacht capsized at around 4.30am local time (3.30am UK time) on Monday.

One body has also been recovered, after being found close to the vessel, according to local media.

Read more: Everything we know so far about luxury vessel sunk by tornado Lynch's co-defendant dies after being hit by car days before yacht sinking

The boat was hit by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, that struck where the yacht had been anchored during the storm.

Police divers have been trying to reach the hull of the ship, which is resting at a depth of 50 metres (163 feet) off Porticello, near Palermo.

During the rescue effort, divers saw "corpses through the portholes" of the wreck, Salvo Cocina, the head of the Civil Protection of Sicily, said.

“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he added.

The incident comes days after Stephen Chamberlain, Mr Lynch's co-accused in the fraud trial, died in a car collision in Stretham, Cambridgeshire.

Mr Chamberlain's lawyer said he was out running on Saturday when he was hit by a car.

Most on board yacht thought to be British

The boat had 12 passengers and a crew of 10 people. Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American, Italian news website la Reppublica reports.

Most of those on board were reported to be from Britain - including a mother and one-year-old daughter who are among those rescued.

Speaking to the Giornale Di Sicilia newspaper, Charlotte Golunski said: "For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea, then I immediately hugged her again amid the fury of the waves.

"I held her tightly, close to me, while the sea was stormy. Many were screaming. Luckily, the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us managed to get on board."

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Ms Golunski was reportedly given stitches for a chest injury following the ordeal. The father of the child also survived, Mr Cocina said.

Eight of the 15 people rescued and taken ashore at Porticello were taken to hospital, while the others were taken to a hotel.

The Italian coast guard said the boat had passengers from Britain, the US, and Canada.

Meanwhile, multiple Italian news outlets reported that people on the boat were from Britain, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Ireland.

British-French citizens were also among those on the superyacht, according to reports.

'I saw it sinking with my own eyes'

Pietro Asciutto, a fisherman from Porticello who witnessed the storm, told local media: "I was at home when the tornado hit. I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very big. I saw it suddenly sink."

He added: "I think the whirlwind came from Porticello... shortly afterwards I went down to Santa Nicolicchia Bay to get a better look at what was happening.

"The boat was still floating, then all of a sudden it disappeared. I saw it sinking with my own eyes."

Fabio Cefalu, another local fisherman, called rescue services after spotting the wrecked boat off Porticello.

He said: "Around 3.55am we witnessed the whirlwind. After a quarter of an hour, we saw a flare 500 metres away from the dock.

"Around 4:35am we went out to sea for the rescue, however, we only saw the remains of the boat floating. There were no men in the sea. So we immediately called the harbour master's office."

A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: "We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected."

Camper and Nicholsons, which provided yacht management services for the Bayesian, has confirmed the vessel sank at around 4.30am local time.

The company said in a statement: "The Italian coast guard is leading search and rescue operations, and has safely recovered 15 individuals. Efforts to locate the seven missing persons continue.

"Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew."

Online charter sites listed the Bayesian as available for rent for up to €195,000 (about £166,339) a week.

Related Topics

• Superyacht sinking

Timeline of the Bayesian luxury yacht disaster in Sicily

Seven people died after a luxury superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily , with their bodies recovered less than a week after the shipwreck.

British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among those recovered after the Bayesian sank near Porticello early Monday morning.

Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel, along with Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were also recovered at the scene.

Italian prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into their deaths and here the PA news agency provides a timeline of events leading up to that announcement.

– Monday August 19

The Bayesian yacht, flying a British flag, sinks at around 5am local time when the area was hit by a tornado.

Fifteen people are rescued from the 55m (180ft) vessel – including a mother and baby – but another seven remain missing.

A body, believed to be that of a chef on the boat, is later found near the wreck.

It emerges that British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter are among six tourists that remain missing.

– Tuesday August 20

The search continues for the six tourists missing.

It is reported that among those missing are Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

Police divers try to reach the hull of the ship, resting at a depth of 50 metres.

Italy’s fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco say early inspections of the wreck were “unsuccessful” because of limited access to the bridge and furniture obstructing passages.

The operation is later described as “complex”, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.

The Italian Coastguard tell PA they fear the six missing tourists have died, with their bodies trapped inside the luxury yacht.

It is confirmed that the body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the yacht.

Tributes pour in for the cook, with his friend Gareth Williams telling the BBC: “I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.”

– Wednesday August 21

The search for the six people unaccounted for enters a third day, with crews carrying out inspections of the yacht’s internal hull.

A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) arrive in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.

A helicopter is drafted in to help with the search effort and remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.

Five bodies are found inside the yacht on Wednesday afternoon. Only four of them are brought to shore.

Body bags are seen being taken to the port of Porticello in the afternoon where dozens of emergency services staff wait.

Searches finish for the day just before 7.30pm.

– Thursday August 22

The search resumes for the remaining missing person.

The body of the fifth missing person, found but not recovered the previous day, is brought to shore.

A fire service boat with flashing blue lights returns with a blue body bag to the port of Porticello just after 8.45am local time on Thursday.

Tributes pour in for Mr Lynch and Mr and Mrs Bloomer after they are identified as having died.

The search is called off at around 8pm in Sicily, with divers expected to begin again at 6.30am on Friday.

– Friday August 23

The search continues for the final person missing from the wreck of the Bayesian, later confirmed to be 18-year-old Hannah.

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, says the search for Hannah has not been “easy or quick”, comparing the sunken yacht to an “18-storey building full of water”.

The coastguard confirms in the late morning that her body has been found.

A green body bag is seen being brought to the port of Porticello from the site of the sinking.

A spokesperson announces on behalf of her family that they are “devastated” and “in shock” after the bodies of Hannah and her father were recovered.

Hannah’s sister Esme pays tribute to her “little angel”.

– Saturday August 24

A press conference is held in the court of an Italian town – Termini Imerese.

Public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio tells reporters that his office has opened an initial investigation against unknown persons into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck, according to a translation.

The press conference also hears from the prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, maritime director of western Sicily Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda, the fire brigade chief of Palermo, Bentivoglio Fiandra, and the brigade’s chief diver, Giuseppe Petrone.

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Final body from sunken superyacht recovered off Sicily

Rescuers scouring the wreckage of the superyacht that sank off the Sicilian coast have brought ashore the body of the last person missing from the luxury boat, believed to be the daughter of a British tech magnate.

The body of Mike Lynch 's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was discovered early Friday — the culmination of a challenging five-day rescue operation.

NBC News later witnessed a body bag being taken ashore from a boat in Porticello, a port near the Italian island’s main city, Palermo.

The family had been apparently celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges in the United States with people who defended him at the trial. But the 184-foot Bayesian went down during a freak storm while anchored off the coast of Palermo early Monday.

Fifteen people were rescued, but six others were declared missing. Divers brought out the bodies of five of them from the shi p's wreck Thursday , with one of them identified as Lynch. One other body, of the ship’s cook Recaldo Thomas, was recovered shortly after the accident.

A spokesperson for the Lynch family said Friday: “The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends. Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue. Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.”

As the massive search and rescue effort neared its end Friday, attention was turning to the investigation into exactly what caused the tragedy.

The accounts of survivors that have emerged through the Italian medics who treated them have suggested the sinking took place in mere minutes and came as a shock.

The ship’s designer said in interviews that he believes the incident could have been caused by human error.

The local prosecutor's office has launched an investigation, and has scheduled a news conference Saturday.

Claudio Lavanga and Claudia Rizzo reported from Porticello and Yuliya Talmazan from London.

Claudio Lavanga is Rome-based foreign correspondent for NBC News.

Claudia Rizzo is an Italy based journalist.

Yuliya Talmazan is a reporter for NBC News Digital, based in London.