A new search operation was initiated on Tuesday by specialized Italian divers for six individuals, including British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his adolescent daughter, who vanished after their vessel overturned near Sicily, Italy.
The Bayesian, a British-registered yacht, was stationed approximately 700 meters from the harbor with 22 occupants, including 10 crew members, when it was hit by a small tornado-like phenomenon known as a waterspout, as reported by AFP.
The event transpired at daybreak on Monday.
Salvo Cocina, the head of Sicily’s Civil Protection Agency, stated that Lynch’s spouse Angela Bacares was among the 15 individuals rescued, but the businessman and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah remained unaccounted for.
Firefighter divers with expertise in confined space operations were brought in from Rome and Sardinia late Monday. However, an initial examination of the wreckage, located about 50 meters underwater, was unsuccessful.
The firefighters reported on X, “Access was restricted to the bridge area, with obstacles from furniture impeding movement.”
The 180-foot luxury vessel was anchored off Porticello, east of Palermo, when sudden strong winds and rain swept along the coast, according to AFP.
Tragedy in Sicily as a luxury super-yacht capsizes amid tornadic conditions. One body found, six missing, including UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch. The yacht, owned by Lynch’s family, overturned near Porticello with 22 onboard. Rescues continue.#UzbekNow #Sicily #MikeLynch #Tornado… pic.twitter.com/KK3DVPE3hI
— Uzbek Now (@UzbekNow) August 19, 2024
Charlotte Golunski, a British survivor, told ANSA news agency, “It was dreadful. The boat was struck by extremely powerful winds and shortly after it sank.”
Golunski momentarily lost grip of her one-year-old daughter in the waves “for a couple of seconds” before managing to retrieve her “while the sea was turbulent,” she recounted.
“Many people were crying out” in the darkness, said Golunski, who managed to board a life raft.
A waterspout is described as a column descending from a cloud, forming a rotating mixture of wind and water over a body of water, often occurring during severe thunderstorms.
