One man is dead and six people are missing after a luxury British yacht sank in a “tornado” and rough seas off the coast of Sicily.
The 50-metre boat, named Bayesian, had 22 people on board when it sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of the Sicilian capital Palermo, with four Britons among the six missing, Italian media outlets reported.
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among the six people missing after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily, The Independent understands.
The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and co-founding Autonomy Corporation and has been in the headlines recently over a high-profile fraud case.
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The man who was found dead was discovered by a diver this morning but his nationality has not been confirmed, the Italian coast guard said. Photos show emergency services carrying a body bag from the water to the shore where ambulances are waiting.
A one-year-old English girl is reportedly among the 15 people who were rescued after the sailboat, flying a British flag, went under the water, according to the Italian daily newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
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Her 35-year-old mother told Italian media: ‘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 afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning,’ she added. ‘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 girl was taken to the local children’s hospital with her mother “who was given chest stitches for a slight graze”, the newspaper reported. Domenico Cipolla, the head of the emergency room, said the family is in good condition.
Most of the passengers were British, but the boat was also carrying two Anglo-French citizens, an Irish national, a New Zealander and a Sri Lankan, news agency Adnkronos has reported.
The rescue divers saw “corpses through the portholes” of the superyacht, Salvo Cocina, the head of the Civil Protection of Sicily, told Corriere Della Sera.
The BAIA Santa Nicolicchia restaurant in Porticello wrote on its Facebook page that the yacht sank at around 4am. In a post, the restaurant owner said it is an “unbelievable tragedy” and that they were “lost for words”.
One anonymous witness told Rai News: “That boat was all lit up. At about 4.30 in the morning, it was gone. A beautiful boat where there had been a party. A normal holiday spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy.
“The boat was not far from the port. It took very little to raise the anchor and head for the port. Evidently they were surprised by the storm that suddenly hit and they were unable to avoid sinking.”
The vessel is described by The Superyacht Times as one of the largest superyachts in the world. It was built in 2008 by Italian yacht builder Perini Navi.
Divers from the region’s fire department are continuing searches around the yacht, situated around half a mile off the coast.
The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told The Independent: “We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.”
The ship is managed by Camper and Nicholsons International, who confirmed to The Independent that the Bayesian sailing yacht “encountered severe weather and subsequently sank.”
A statement continued: “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. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Sicily is under a weather warning for wind, with reports of strong gusts hitting the coastline this morning.
More follows on this breaking news story…