Bodies of five missing persons reportedly found
Divers scouring the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday have reportedly found the bodies of five missing persons, write Jamie Grierson and Lorenzo Tondo.
The UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah Lynch, the Morgan Stanley International chair, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy, and the Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, have been missing since the vessel went down on Monday morning.
The 56-metre yacht, named Bayesian and sailing under a British flag, was carrying 22 people and had anchored just off shore near the port of Porticello when it was hit by what was believed to be a tornado or waterspout.
The body of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was located shortly after the vessel sank.
Citing a source, Reuters said four more bodies were found on Wednesday but did not immediately give the names or gender of the victims. Sources among firefighters’ divers later told the Guardian the last two bodies had been found.
Some UK media are reporting that two of the bodies are those of Lynch and his daughter. The Guardian has not been able to independently verify this and there has been no formal confirmation from the authorities.
Key events
Search operation has been concluded for the day
The head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina told the PA news agency that searches have finished for the day and will resume on Thursday.
He confirmed that five bodies have been found, but only four recovered.
One person remains missing, Cocina added.
According to Italian law, a body must be formally identified by a family member, or a person close to the victims, before the deaths can be officially certified.
It has been suggested that the authorities could hold a news conference when all the bodies have been retrieved and brought ashore.
Bodies of five missing persons reportedly found
Divers scouring the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday have reportedly found the bodies of five missing persons, write Jamie Grierson and Lorenzo Tondo.
The UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah Lynch, the Morgan Stanley International chair, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy, and the Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, have been missing since the vessel went down on Monday morning.
The 56-metre yacht, named Bayesian and sailing under a British flag, was carrying 22 people and had anchored just off shore near the port of Porticello when it was hit by what was believed to be a tornado or waterspout.
The body of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was located shortly after the vessel sank.
Citing a source, Reuters said four more bodies were found on Wednesday but did not immediately give the names or gender of the victims. Sources among firefighters’ divers later told the Guardian the last two bodies had been found.
Some UK media are reporting that two of the bodies are those of Lynch and his daughter. The Guardian has not been able to independently verify this and there has been no formal confirmation from the authorities.
Lorenzo Tondo
The English banker Jonathan Bloomer and the American lawyer Chris Morvillo have been confirmed as among the bodies recovered.
Their bodies will be transferred to the morgue in Palermo where an autopsy will be carried out, under the supervision of the public prosecutor of Termini Imeresi who has launched an investigation into the incident.
Fifth body found by rescuers, official says
The head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina confirmed that a fifth body has been found.
He told the PA news agency that four bodies have been recovered and that efforts to bring a fifth to shore are “ongoing”.
One person remains missing.
An investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian might result in changes to how masts are constructed, according to a professor of transport law.
According to Italian shipbuilder Perini, the Bayesian’s 75m (246ft) aluminium mast was the tallest of its kind in the world.
Nicola Romana, a professor of transport and tourism law at the University of Palermo, believes that investigations into how the ship sunk could force a change to ship building.
He told la Repubblica: “In the case of Bayesian, a safety investigation, I imagine, could concern the height of the mast, whether it could have caused an imbalance with the hull, thus leading in the future to not building such tall masts or to using other types of alloys, different from aluminium.”
Two bodies found aboard the sunken yacht were brought to land on Wednesday, while two more bodies have been located in the capsized vessel, sources told Reuters.
Sources among firefighter divers said the last two bodies have been found and are about to be recovered by a patrol boat from the Coast Guard.
On Monday the body of one man, the yacht’s chef, was recovered from the water. There were 15 survivors.
Of the remaining six people, the four Britons and two Americans have all been named. Here is what we know about them.
Lorenzo Tondo
Sources among firefighter divers said another body has been found and is about to be recovered by a patrol boat from the Coast Guard.
The identity of the body, the fifth person found, is not yet known.
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said it is investigating the sinking of the superyacht.
A team of four MAIB inspectors have been in Porticello today to carry out a “preliminary assessment”.
“The MAIB is investigating the foundering of the UK registered large yacht Bayesian off the northern coast of Sicily on 19 August 2024,” a statement read.
“It would not be appropriate for the MAIB to comment further while the investigation is ongoing. “
Lorenzo Tondo
Authorities confirm they have recovered two more bodies.
In total, 4 passengers missing have been recovered this afternoon by Italian firefighter divers.
The identities of the bodies are not yet known. According to some sources, one of the four would be that of a young woman, a detail that would suggest she could be Mike Lynch’s daughter.
However, at the moment, there is no confirmation from the authorities who are waiting to conduct legal examinations and to submit the bodies to the relatives for identification.