Body of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch recovered from sunken yacht off Sicily, reports say
The British-flagged Bayesian superyacht was anchored off the coast of Porticello with 22 people on board when a severe thunderstorm struck. Only one of the five bodies pulled from the wreckage has been identified by authorities, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch.
Italian Coast Guard continues search missing people from Bayesian superyacht
Aerial video shows the area off Porticello, Italy where Coast Guard crews continue to search for the remaining passengers and crew of the Bayesian yacht owned by the wife of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch. Lynch and his daughter are among the six missing.
SICILY, Italy – Five bodies have been recovered, and one person remains missing off the coast of Sicily after a powerful and sudden thunderstorm brought down a 180-foot yacht carrying more than a dozen people.
The body of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was recovered Thursday while the search for his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, continues, according to Reuters.
The British-flagged sailboat Bayesian, with 22 people on board, was anchored off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when severe weather quickly rolled in. According to the Italian Department of Civil Protection, rain and thunderstorms with strong wind gusts were forecast over parts of Sicily through the weekend.
Officials told the Associated Press a waterspout was reported in the area overnight when the yacht sank. Giuseppe Cefalu, a local fisherman from Sicily, told the PA news agency through a translator he saw a "tornado" close to the port of Porticello on Monday morning.
VIDEO SHOWS MOMENT BAYESIAN SUPERYACHT SINKS DURING FEROCIOUS STORM OFF SICILIAN COAST
Rescuers carry a body after divers return in Porticello harbor near Palermo, on August 22, 2024, three days after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank.
(ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the International Center for Waterspout Research (ICWR), Italy has been ranked second after the U.S. in waterspout sightings since 2023. Since Aug. 17, the ICWR said it has confirmed 18 waterspouts off Italy’s coasts in what the research group is calling a "waterspout outbreak."
The Italian Coast Guard said the vessel sank around 4 a.m. Monday about 700 meters (nearly 2,300 feet) off the coast of Porticello.
Italian Coast Guard Command teams and firefighters are carrying out search and rescue operations with helicopters and ships to find missing people after after a yacht sank on Monday due to a storm 20 kilometers east of Palermo in southern Italy on August 19, 2024.
(Alberto Lo Bianco/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Coast Guard and nearby boaters helped rescue 15 people after the Bayesian went under the sea. The survivors include a mother who held her 1-year-old daughter above the water to prevent her from drowning, Reuters reported.
The body of the onboard chef, Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, was recovered near the wreckage the morning the ship sank. On Wednesday, the bodies of two more individuals were brought into the harbor of Porticello, and two more bodies were located in the vessel, Reuters reported.
Thomas is the only victim who has been identified by the authorities.
The boat was owned by Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who survived the shipwreck, Reuters reported. Lynch's body was recovered Thursday and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, remains missing, according to Reuters. Judy and Jonathan Bloomer and Chris and Neda Morvillo are the other missing passengers.
The Italian Coast Guard continues to search for the sunken vessel. Specialists from around Italy arrived in Porticello on Monday to help find the missing.
Coast Guard officials said entering the yacht was complex, and officials came up with a plan to make it easier to inspect the interior of the ship. Reuters reported the victims were believed to be trapped in their cabins, which were difficult to reach.
ITALY’S MOUNT ETNA ERUPTS AGAIN, SENDS ASH PLUME 32,000 FEET INTO SKY
The weather around Sicily has also hindered search efforts. Sicily was under a Yellow Alert for thunderstorm activity on Wednesday.
Dangers of sailing on the Mediterranean Sea
Boating experts say sailing on the Mediterranean Sea can be challenging because of the diverse terrain surrounding the water. Even expert sailors can be caught off guard by the sea breezes and storms, which are sometimes difficult to predict.
The sea is surrounded by mountainous regions and, in the south, desert, creating temperature contrasts that can lead to windy conditions. Wind is created by the movement of air from one place to another, which happens as cold air rushes to replace rising warm air during a process known as diffusion.
A picture shows the hotel Domina Zagarella Sicily hosting survivors and their relatives in Porticello, on August 20, 2024 near Palermo, a day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank. Specialist divers launched a fresh search for six people, including UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch and the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, missing since their yacht capsized off the Italian island of Sicily.
(ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
Wind is such a big factor in the Mediterranean that there are several named winds: Meltemi, Bora, Sirocco and Mistral. These are the primary gusts and are fueled by topography and pressure differences. According to Sailogy, some of the winds can be predicted days in advance while others can quickly turn a pleasant sail into a choppy ride.