Rescue teams have managed to smash through a glass window and enter the hull of the Bayesian as crucial hours are ahead in the search for survivors inside the superyacht.
The firefighter divers were able to reach the common areas of the vessel through the gap, Giornale Di Sicilia reported on Tuesday – however, they are yet to make it to the cabins, which is still set to take a while as entrances may be blocked.
It comes as an engineer warned the next 24 hours are “critical” in the search for the six people who went missing after the boat sank in a severe storm in the early hours of Monday. One man has so far been confirmed dead, Recaldo Thomas, while a further 15 people survived the incident.
Nick Sloane, who worked on the Costa Concordia salvage operation in 2012, told Sky News: “They’ve got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued. You’ve got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out.”
The missing tourists are billionaire Mike Lynch, who owns the yacht; his daughter, Hannah Lynch; Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
Mr Lynch had reportedly invited his lawyers and friends to celebrate a recent legal victory that cleared him of fraud accusations in the US.
Have you been affected by this story? Email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk
Key Points
- Rescue teams enter Bayesian’s hull by smashing through glass window, local media report
- Pictured: Chef Ricardo Thomas with ‘smile that lit up the room’ who died in yacht tragedy
- Two more survivors named and pictured
- Mother of survivor says she is ‘beyond relieved’ her daughter is safe
- Another name of surviving crew member confirmed by Italian coastguard
- Captain speaks for first time from hospital bed with just five words
Early focus of investigation would be whether yacht’s crew closed hatches
23:00
Tara Cobham
An early focus of the official investigation would be whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck, an expert at the scene of the disaster, who declined to be named, has said.
Investigators would look at whether appropriate measures had been taken, given the forecasts for bad weather overnight.
Top NYC lawyer missing after Sicily yacht disaster wrote haunting LinkedIn post about living happily ever after just weeks ago
22:39
Jabed Ahmed
A New York City lawyer who went missing after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily wrote a haunting post on LinkedIn two months before he joined the doomed voyage.
In one of his only posts on the site, Christopher Morvillo, 59, thanked his legal team after they helped British tech tycoon Mike Lynch win a fraud trial.
Morvillo thanked his legal team and his family, and ended with a now poignant flourish.
“And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo,” he wrote. “None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after….”
Morvillo is a partner at Clifford Chance, a white-collar law firm with offices on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor who investigated the September 11 terror attacks, according to the New York Post.
Rescue teams enter Bayesian’s hull by smashing through glass window, local media report
22:23
Tara Cobham
Rescue teams diving the wreck of the Bayesian have managed to enter the hull of the yacht by smashing through a glass window, according to local reports.
A local blacksmith made jacks that were used to break through the 3cm glass, Giornale Di Sicilia reported on Tuesday, with the firefighter divers then able to reach the common areas of the vessel through the gap.
However, it added that they are yet to make it to the cabins, which is set to take a while as entrances may be blocked.
The boat is reportedly leaning on its starboard side, which further adds to the difficulty of the operation.
Yacht rescue teams ‘could be listening for timed banging noise’ from vessel
22:05
Jabed Ahmed
Rescue teams trying to access the submerged Bayesian yacht could be listening out for a timed banging noise, a senior university lecturer has said.
A maritime diving and wreckage expert also warned the teams would have to make “a big choice” as their efforts intensify.
Read the full report below:
Mapped: Where did the yacht sink?
21:50
Jabed Ahmed
The luxury yacht sunk off the coast of Palermo, Sicily.
The 56-metre-long sailboat sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, the Italian coast guard said in a statement.
“The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude,” a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters.
Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days - with floods and landslides causing major damage in the north of the country - after weeks of scorching heat.
The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of “at anchor”, according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.
Desperate conditions facing divers looking for survivors on submerged Bayesian
21:45
Tara Cobham
Cave-diving experts are among the rescuers still hoping to find survivors trapped underwater on the superyachtBayesian, which was sunk by a tornado off Sicily.
It is thought that the only hope of survival for the six passengers who are still unaccounted for – tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter; Morgan Stanley executive Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda – is that they are in an air pocket on the doomed £30m vessel.
Among those assisting with the search are two cave divers who are attempting to navigate the dark, tight corridors of the “fully intact” yacht, which is now lying at a depth of 49 metres.
My colleague Barney Davis reports:
Law firm Clifford Chance 'in shock' after lawyer missing in yacht disaster
21:15
Jabed Ahmed
A prominent New York lawyer who is among the six missing passengers of the sunken yacht off Italy’s coast was travelling with his longtime client, British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, just weeks after helping him avoid conviction in a 12-year legal saga.
Divers were still searching on Tuesday for the defence lawyer and former federal prosecutor Christopher Morvillo, a partner at law firm Clifford Chance, and his wife Neda, along with Lynch and three other missing passengers.
Ayla Ronald, a London-based senior associate at Clifford Chance, and her partner were among the survivors, the London-founded global law firm said in a statement on Tuesday. Ronald has also represented Lynch, according to her profile on the firm’s website.
“We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” a Clifford Chance spokesperson said.
Morvillo, 59, was a lead lawyer for Lynch and won his acquittal in June after a three-month-long San Francisco fraud trial stemming from Hewlett-Packard’s ill-fated acquisition of Lynch’s software company Autonomy, and has represented the UK entrepreneur since 2012.
He is the son of Robert Morvillo, considered one of New York’s savviest criminal-defense attorneys before his death in 2011. The younger Morvillo is also a leading white-collar defender and a former assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan who assisted in the criminal investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Lynch sold Autonomy to HP for $11 billion in 2011, but the deal spectacularly unraveled with the US tech giant accusing him of fraud.
Friend describes Mike Lynch as ‘easy person to talk to’ with ‘nice sense of humour'
20:43
Tara Cobham
A friend of Mike Lynch has described him as a “very easy person to talk to”, with a “nice sense of humour”.
Richard Smith, who lives near Mr Lynch in the Suffolk village of Pettistree, told the BBC: “He is so approachable and a very easy person to talk to. A nice sense of humour. You might think with all that money that he would be a difficult person to talk to, but in fact he was a very easy person to talk to."
CCTV footage shows moment Bayesian yacht is engulfed by storm
20:37
Tara Cobham
CCTV footage has shown the moment a storm off the coast of Sicily engulfed the Bayesian luxury yacht carrying 22 people.
The superyacht was moored around half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.
The tall mast of the craft can be seen in the black-and-white footage, as rain appears to be lashing down in the foreground.
My colleague Jabed Ahmed reports:
Missing couple described as ‘incredibly generous people’ by their local reverend
20:22
Tara Cobham
A couple who are among the six missing after the Bayesian yacht sank have been described as “incredibly generous people” by the reverend of their local church.
Speaking of Jonathan and Judy Bloomer, Rev Tim Edwards, from Knockholt in Kent, told BBC South East: “At the moment there’s an awful lot that we don’t know”.
He added that the couple are “very much” part of the village community as well as being active with local charities.
British government sends four investigators to Bayesian sinking scene
20:20
Tara Cobham
The British government's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it sent four of its inspectors to Sicily to conduct a “preliminary assessment” after the Bayesian yacht sank.
Emergency rescue teams will have to make ‘a big choice’, expert warns
19:50
Tara Cobham
Emergency teams trying to access the submerged Bayesian yacht will have to make "a big choice" as the rescue efforts intensify, a maritime diving and wreckage expert has said.
Bertrand Sciboz told BBC News: "I think 50 metres is a limit to dive with a certain category of professional divers, so you will need to dive with some kind of helmet and pipe and (be) connected to the surface for oxygen, and also for for speaking and hearing and telling what you see and and do.
"It's always very difficult, and especially with a sailing vessel, because you've got rope everywhere, you've got a sail which is floating in the current, because we are in Mediterranean Sea and not in the English Channel.
"But the main thing, you know, it's the fact that in those kind of conditions, it's very hard to go inside the wreck, and they will have to have to make a big choice at one moment, of salvaging the whole wreck or rescuing the bodies."
Pictured: Chef Ricardo Thomas with ‘smile that lit up the room’ who died in yacht tragedy
19:47
Tara Cobham
Recaldo Thomas, who is understood to be the superyacht’s chef, has been pictured after he died in the sinking of the Bayesian.
The Palermo Port Authority told Canadian broadcaster CBC News the body of Mr Thomas, a Canadian-born man who had been living in Antigua, had been recovered from the wreckage.
Mr Thomas’s friend Gareth Williams, who grew up with the chef in Antigua, told the BBC: "I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.
“He would come over to mine over the weekend and he would sing. He had the deepest, most sultry voice in the world, and a smile that lit up the room.
“He told me just the other day that he needed to work two more seasons to fix up his late parents' house. He loved yachting, but he was tired.”
Tributes have also been paid to him by friends on social media, with one saying: “Rest in Power big man. I don’t know what else to say except I love you, and I always will.”
Another wrote: “Going to miss you so much Recaldo Thomas still finding this so hard to believe.”
The BBC and some Italian newspapers initially reported his name as Ricardo Thomas.
A spokesperson for the Canadian foreign ministry said they were “aware of reports that a Canadian citizen has died” and said consular officials were in contact with local authorities but declined to offer any further information.
Watch: Moment Bayesian yacht engulfed by storm
19:18
Tara Cobham
Pictured: Life raft ‘that saved survivors' recovered at scene of sinking
19:03
Tara Cobham
A life raft has been recovered at the scene where the yacht sank in the harbour at Porticello.
Sky News reported that it is the inflatable lifeboat that the survivors used to escape.
Twin brother of missing Jonathan Bloomer says he is ‘numb’ amid horror
18:51
Tara Cobham
The twin brother of one of the six missing has said he is “numb” as he struggles to come to terms with what has happened.
Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer's twin told the BBC his family are "coping the best we can" but have not received any new updates on the search.
Jeremy Bloomer said: "It's a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we don't know."
He continued: "He was my older [brother] by half an hour. So it means a lot when you lose a twin brother. It's still wait and see, so fingers crossed."
Describing the situation as “terrible” and “beyond your wildest imagination”, he said: “I'm just numb, just numb. That's it, you don't know what to think and you can't believe it's happened."
Rescue teams could be listening for timed banging noise, university lecturer says
18:40
Tara Cobham
Rescue teams trying to access the submerged Bayesian yacht could be listening out for a timed banging noise, a senior university lecturer has said.
Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, who teaches mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said: "A sign the rescuers may be looking for is a banging noise at regular intervals: this is common practice on submarines, and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year."
He added the possibility of air pockets forming inside the vessel was "simply impossible to predict".
Mike Lynch’s neighbour says she was ‘honestly horrified’ to learn he was missing
18:37
Tara Cobham
A neighbour of Mike Lynch said she was "honestly horrified" when she learned he was missing after his yacht sank in a tornado.
Ruth Leigh, of Pettistree in Suffolk, said she knew the family had the Bayesian, but when she heard the news, she said: “I just couldn't believe it, I thought this can't be right.”
The 57-year-old writer and author added: "It's dreadful, it's the worst news."
She said they had been neighbours for around 15 years and that "right from the start [Mr Lynch] was a fantastic neighbour".
"Even though he was incredibly wealthy and a very important person, he never ever gave that impression," said Ms Leigh.
"Whenever he met you, he always remembers your name, he would chat to you, incredibly friendly and down to earth, which we thought was a great quality. He was a really good neighbour."
What we know about the sinking of the superyacht off Sicily
18:34
Tara Cobham
Violent storm
The Bayesian sank after being hit by a “violent storm”. The Italian coast guard said bad weather had been forecast, but added that it was more virulent than expected. Some locals spoke of a waterspout, or sea whirlwind, of exceptional force. The Bayesian was at anchor, its sails down, when the tempest hit, with another yacht moored nearby.
The other boat
The nearby yacht, the 42-metre Sir Robert Baden Powell, remained anchored and weathered the storm after its captain turned on the engine to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian. The captain, Karsten Borner, said he did not know if the crew of the Bayesian had managed to switch on its engines. "I only know that they went flat with the mast on the water and that they sank in two minutes," he said.
Swift capsizing
Andrea Ratti, a nautical design professor at Milan Polytechnic university, said a boat the size of the Bayesian could only sink so rapidly by taking in a huge amount of water, suggesting that one or more portholes, windows or other openings may have been broken or smashed open by the waterspout.
There has also been media speculation that a major hatch might have been inadvertently left open. However, fire department diver Marco Tilotta told Il Messaggero daily the wreck was "apparently intact" – although only one half of the hull is visible to divers.
And an industry expert in Britain said it should have taken hours for the Bayesian to fill up with enough water to sink it, making its swift demise incomprehensible.
Tallest mast
The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Perini Navi, which said it featured the world's tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres. However, Ratti and a second expert, structural engineer Filippo Mattioni, said an unusually tall mast is not by itself an element of vulnerability in a storm. Both were also sceptical about the theory a broken mast caused damage smashing against the hull as the boat would not have capsized if this was the case.
Retractable keel
The Bayesian had a retractable keel – the fin-like structure under the hull that helps stabilise boats and acts as a counterweight to the mast. Both Ratti and Mattioni wondered if the yacht had been anchored with the keel up, reducing its depth under water, making it less stable. Ratti said the boat might have started oscillating wildly, under strong winds, putting exceptional strain on the mast. But even if this had led to its breaking, "this by itself is not enough to justify the sinking," he said.
Investigation
Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation into the disaster. Their case is likely to take months to complete.
Weeks before yacht disaster Mike Lynch was acquitted in years-long multi-billion dollar case
18:14
Tara Cobham
Mike Lynch, a British tech tycoon embroiled in legal battles for over a decade until just months ago, is presumed dead after boarding a superyacht that capsized off the Sicilian coast.
The 184-foot vessel sank early Monday morning due to a violent storm off the coast of Palermo. Crews rescued 15 people in the immediate aftermath, but Lynch was nowhere to be found. The Italian Coast Guard said several people, including Lynch have been presumed dead as of Tuesday afternoon, the Wall Street Journal reports.
This includes Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and lawyer Chris Morvillo. Lynch’s daughter, Bloomer’s wife and Morvillo’s wife were also missing and now presumed dead, according to the Journal.
Katie Hawkinson reports:
Another name of surviving crew member confirmed by Italian coastguard
18:08
Tara Cobham
The Italian Coastguard has confirmed the name of another surviving crew member.
Spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola said Leo Eppel was on board the yacht that sank.
Mother of survivor says she is ‘beyond relieved’ her daughter is safe
17:59
Tara Cobham
The mother of a survivor has said she is “beyond relieved” that her daughter is safe.
Leah Randall, from South Africa, was working as a member of the crew on board the Bayesian yacht when it sank and was seen leaving the Italian coastguard’s headquarters yesterday after surviving the incident.
Her mother Heidi Randall told Sky News: “I'm beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God.
“It doesn't make it any easier living with the heartache of those who have lost their lives or are missing.
“My very deepest condolences to the chef's family as they formed a great friendship.”
Name of another crew member confirmed by Italian coastguard
17:52
Tara Cobham
The Italian Coastguard has confirmed the name of another crew member.
Spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola said Leo Eppel was on board the yacht that sank.
After yacht sinks, experts say Mediterranean growing more dangerous
17:34
Tara Cobham
The shipwreck of a luxury yacht moored off the coast of Sicily is the latest sign that the Mediterranean is becoming a more dangerous sea to sail in, climate experts and skippers say.
One man died and six people are still missing, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after the Bayesian, a 56-metre-long (184-ft) sailboat, was hit by a ferocious storm on Monday, sinking in a matter of minutes.
Climatologists say global warming is making such violent and unexpected tempests more frequent in a sea used as a summer playground for millions of tourists, including a wealthy few sailing its waters on superyachts.
Luca Mercalli, president of Italy's meteorological society, said the sea surface temperature around Sicily in the days leading up to the shipwreck was about 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), almost three degrees more than normal. "This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms," he told Reuters.
The changes in "Mare Nostrum" (Our Sea), as the ancient Romans called the Mediterranean, are also being noticed by experienced skippers such as Massimo Aramu, who runs the Akua sailing school on the coast near the Italian capital.
Currently sailing around Greece, Aramu said he did not like navigating Italy's Tyrrhenian coast around Sicily or the Spanish Balearic islands because there are "often critical situations with little warning".
Last week, a storm similar to the one that sank the Bayesian hit the Balearic archipelago, which includes the islands of Ibiza and Mallorca, leaving several yachts washed up ashore.
Giuliano Gallo, a former skipper who crossed the Atlantic and has written several books on sailing, said the Mediterranean was becoming more like the Caribbean, which has areas that many boats steer clear of at certain times of the year. "But things are less predictable in the Mediterranean," he said.
Another sign of the more erratic weather in the Mediterranean was seen a year ago when thousands of people were killed in Libya by flash floods triggered by a so-called medicane - a supercharged Mediterranean storm fuelled by warmer seas.
Karsten Borner, the captain of a boat that was moored alongside the Bayesian but escaped harm, said Monday's storm had been "very violent, very intense, a lot of water and I think a turning system like a tornado". He also blamed more frequent episodes of intense heat during the summer months for playing a role in causing such storms.
Hannah Lynch’s school release statement
17:08
Rachel Hagan
Mike Lynch’s daughter 18-year-old Hannah is one of the six people missing.
Her former school, Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, has released a statement saying they are “shocked” by the news.
It reads: “We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.”
Two more survivors named and pictured
16:40
Tara Cobham
Two more survivors have been named by Sky News as Leah Randall and Katja Chicken.
The broadcaster says they are both South African and worked as crew members on the Bayesian.
Chef who died believed to be Canadian-born man who had been living in Antigua
16:28
Rachel Hagan
Recaldo Thomas is understood to be the superyacht’s chef and the sole person whose death has been confirmed.
The Palermo Port Authority told Canadian broadcaster CBC News the body of Thomas Recaldo, a Canadian-born man who had been living in Antigua, had been recovered from the wreckage.
The BBC and some Italian newspapers reported his name as Ricardo Thomas.
Tributes have been pouring in on Facebook. With one saying: “Rest in Power big man. You always loved this pic of you. I don’t know what else to say except I love you, and I always will.”
Another wrote: “Going to miss you so much Recaldo Thomas still finding this so hard to believe.”
Charlotte Golunski pictured leaving hospital
15:45
Rachel Hagan
Charlotte Golunsky, her husband, James Emsley, and their baby daughter, Sofia, left the Di Cristina Children’s Hospital in a black van via a back entrance today.
They were accompanied by an officer from the British embassy, who covered the family’s faces with a jacket to hide them from a huddle of photographers.
‘Difficult to imagine’ positive outcome
15:43
Rachel Hagan
The Italian coastguard says it’s struggling to imagine a positive outcome.
Frigate Captain Vincenzo Zagarola told Italian radio station RTL 102.5: “Given the time that has passed and the circumstances of the event, it is naturally difficult to imagine that things can go well but we are not giving up, so we are busy [searching for them] with naval and air resources.”
Divers have managed to open a hole in the hull of the sunken superyacht
15:14
Rachel Hagan
Divers have managed to open a hole in the hull of the sunken superyacht, according to Italian media, as the desperate search for the missing continues.
Until the hole was made, the ship appeared to be fully intact, Marco Tilotta, inspector of the Palermo Fire Department’s diving unit, told Il Messaggero. Divers are quickly trying to access Bayesian’s cabins as they believe that boat owner Mike Lynch and others are likely “still inside the boat”, Italian coast guard spokesperson Vincenzo Zagarola told PA.
He continued: “We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea. Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours.”
Divers have just 10 minutes per dive to search the wreck
14:39
Rachel Hagan
Marco Tilotta, a diver from Vigili del Fuoco di Palermo who is coordinating the search and rescue, said divers have just 10 minutes per dive to search the wreck.
He said they always hope to find people alive, but the conditions below the water are “prohibitive”.
He explained that with the time it takes to dive down to the wreck and ascend again, they have just 10 minutes per dive to search the wreck.
Speaking with Italian newspaper Giornale Di Sicilia he said: “They can stay underwater for a maximum of 12 minutes, two of which are needed to go up and down.”
Mike Lynch and others likely ‘still inside the boat'
14:17
Rachel Hagan
Mike Lynch and the five others missing are believed to still be inside the Bayesian, according to the Italian coast guard.
Vincenzo Zagarola was asked about the likelihood of them being alive. He said: “Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.”
Speaking with the PA news agency, Mr Zagarola said this was because the yacht sank in just a few minutes and search and rescue teams are unable to find the missing bodies.
He said: “We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea. Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours. Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly. We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.”
The missing tourists are Mr Lynch; his daughter, Hannah Lynch; Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
Six left unnacounted for as search enters critical 24 hours
13:40
Barney Davis
Fifteen people managed to escape the tragic yacht before it capsized and the body of one person who died was swiftly recovered.
This leaves divers searching for the remaining six passengers unaccounted for - Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Morgan Stanley International non-executive chairman Jonathan Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, and their two wives Judy and Neda.
Clifford Chance confirm its colleagues on the yacht
13:36
Rachel Hagan
Law firm Clifford Chance has confirmed two of its colleagues were on the yacht when it sunk.
Christopher Morvillo, who is a partner at the firm, along with his wife Neda are among the missing, a spokesperson confirmed to The Independent.
Ayla Ronald, together with her partner, “thankfully” survived the incident.
The full statement read: “We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with our Partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda who are among the missing. Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident. Our thoughts extend to the other passengers and crew and all those affected. We have no further comment at this time. We, and the families, ask that their request for privacy is honored during this period.”
Pictures of divers trying to reach wreck
13:20
Barney Davis
“The fear is that the bodies got trapped inside the vessel,” which was lying 49 metres (160 feet) deep, Salvatore Cocina, head of civil protection in Sicily, said. This meant time beneath the waves was a limiting factor for the divers.
“The biggest difficulty we have is due to the depth, which does not allow long times of intervention,” fire department diver Marco Tilotta told reporters. “We plan ... to search centimetre by centimetre.”
Now they enter a critical 24 hours according to Nick Sloane, a lead diver in the Costa Concordia wreck. He told Sky News that survivors might be trapped in air pockets inside the ship, but that time is running out fast to rescue them.
“They’ve got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued.
“If the yacht is on its side, it might have more air pockets than if it’s upright. She’s got quite a large keel, and that will deflect and put her on her side, I’m sure.”
British ambassador meets with survivors
13:00
Barney Davis
The British ambassador to Italy has expressed his sympathy for the families involved in the yacht sinking off the coast of Sicily.
Speaking outside a nearby hotel where he met survivors, Ed Llewellyn said: “My heart goes out to them.”
He added: “I’ve spoken to some of the British survivors both yesterday and today — I want to express my deep sympathy from myself and colleagues at the British Embassy for what’s happened.
“We’re doing what we can to support them in this incredibly sad and difficult situation to help them with contacts from the Italian authorities at a practical level.”
Local fisherman claims to have seen a ‘tornado'
12:23
Rachel Hagan
Local fisherman Giuseppe Cefalu has told the PA news agency through a translator that he saw a “tornado” close to the port of Porticello on Monday morning.
Mr Cefalu said he and his brother Fabio saw a flare in the sky at around 5am. The pair aided efforts to locate people in the water after the yacht sank, but Mr Cefalu said he only saw cushions and a buoy.
He said weather conditions on the morning of the sinking were “fierce”, with “very strong” wind and rain.
One-year-old saved by her mum ‘slept well’ last night
12:15
Rachel Hagan
The one-year-old baby who was saved by her mother from the sinking Bayesian slept peacefully in hospital last night, local media has reported.
Charlotte Golunski, 38, a senior associate at Mike Lynch’s venture capital firm, said yesterday how she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.
The Italian news agency Adnkronos has since reported that Sofia was kept in the Giovanni di Cristina Children’s Hospital, in Palermo, last night as a precaution.
Dr Domenico Cipolla, head of emergency department said: “She slept all night.”
Ms Golunski told la Repubblica yesterday: “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.”
Charity pays tribute to missing Judy Bloomer
12:03
Rachel Hagan
Judy Bloomer, who is one of the six people missing and the wife of Jonathan Bloomer, has been called a “brilliant champion for women’s health.”
Athena Lamnisos, the CEO of the Eve Appeal, where Ms Bloomer has been a trustee for more than 20 years, said she is “deeply shocked to hear the news that our very dear friend and her husband Jonathan, are among those missing”.
The charity said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter: “Our thoughts are with Judy and Jonathan’s family, as well as all those who are still waiting for news after this tragic event.”
Lawyer's wife among the missing
11:34
Rachel Hagan
Lawyer Chris Morvillo’s wife, Neda, is also missing it has now been reported by The Associated Press.
Mr Morvillo represented Mike Lynch in his case and has previously worked on other high-profile cases such as the criminal investigation surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Morgan Stanley: 'We are deeply shocked and saddened'
10:52
Rachel Hagan
Morgan Stanley, an investment bank, whose chairman Jonathan Bloomer is still missing has issued a statement this morning.
The spokesperson said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation.”
Family of Stephen Chamberlain pay tribute to ‘much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend'
10:10
Rachel Hagan
The family of Stephen Chamberlain, who was not on the yacht but was the co-defendant in Mike Lynch’s trial, have described him as “a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend”.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary confirmed that Mr Chamberlain was killed on Saturday after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire.
His family released a tribute to the 52-year-old via the police force, saying: “Steve was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend. He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible. He made a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. He will be deeply missed but forever in the hearts of his loved ones.”
Captain speaks for first time from hospital bed with just five words
09:47
Rachel Hagan
James Catfield, the captain of the yacht who is recovering at the Termini Imerese hospital has spoken to Italian media for the first time.
La Repubblica quotes just one sentence from Mr Catfield: “We didn’t see it coming.”
Jonathan Bloomer’s wife among the missing
09:25
Rachel Hagan
Tribute has been paid to Jonathan Bloomer, who is believed to be among the missing, from the insurer Hiscox that Mr Bloomer chairs.
Its CEO has confirmed that Bloomer and his wife Judy are among those still missing this morning.
Aki Hussain, Group Chief Executive Officer, Hiscox, said in a statement to The Independent: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event. Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.”
Yacht ‘practically intact’ on seabed, says diver
09:11
Rachel Hagan
The luxury superyacht is “practically intact” on the seabed despite sinking, Marco Tilotta, a firefighter diver from Palermo, has told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
He said in an interview that the £30 million yacht was lying on its side at a depth of 48 metres, but that divers were unable to gain access because of floating furnishings and other debris inside the yacht.
He said: “When we went down to the water around 5:30 a.m., we found a yacht that was practically intact. It is resting on its side on the starboard side. It has no gashes, no signs of impact.’’
