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.
Sky News understands technology tycoon Mike Lynch owned the 56-metre vessel (183ft), named Bayesian, which has been described as one of the biggest superyachts in the world.
The tech tycoon, 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.
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.
A body, believed to be that of the vessel’s chef, has been found, according to local media.
Police divers have been trying to reach the hull of the ship, which is resting at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet) off Porticello near Palermo where it had been anchored during the storm.
During the rescue effort divers saw “corpses through the portholes” of the wreck as they recovered the body of a man next to it at a depth of around 50 metres (163ft), Salvo Cocina, the head of the Civil Protection of Sicily, said.
Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American, Italian news website la Reppublica reports.
The superyacht, which had 22 people on board, sank at around 4.30am local time (3.30am UK time) on Monday.
A body bag is lifted out of the water. Pic: Reuters
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, the mother 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.”
The boat which sank off the coast of Palermo. Pic: BAIA Santa Nicolicchia.
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CCTV of storm which capsized superyacht
The mother was reportedly given stitches for a chest injury following the ordeal.
The Italian cost guard has said the vessel had passengers from Britain, America and Canada.
Meanwhile, multiple Italian news outlets 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.
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One dead after yacht capsizes in tornado
The port in Palermo after the storm
Emergency workers at the scene. Pic: Reuters
‘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.”
Damage caused by the storm
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: “There were a total of 12 guests and 10 crew onboard.
“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.”