The search for the sixth and final body is due to resume after rescue workers found five corpses inside the sunken Bayesian superyacht.
The boat sank in a severe storm in the early hours of Monday, with those missing including British billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
The corpses of four people, one of whom belonged to a “heavily-built man”, were recovered earlier on Wednesday. The head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said that efforts to bring a fifth to shore were “ongoing”, while the whereabouts of the missing sixth person remains unknown.
Identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified.
Fire crews have described the operation as “complex”, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts, and debris hampering efforts to access the cabins.
One man, the boat’s chef Recaldo Thomas, was confirmed dead on Monday, while a further 15 people survived the disaster.
Have you been affected by this story? Email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk
Key Points
- Five bodies now found on sunken luxury yacht off coast of Sicily
- Identities of recovered bodies not yet confirmed by authorities
Priority is finding the final passenger, says head of civil protection agency
08:46
Holly Evans
Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, confirmed that the fifth body had been recovered on Thursday, following the recovery of four others on Wednesday.
Identities of the bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified.
Searches resumed on Thursday morning, with Mr Cocina saying there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority is finding the final missing passenger.
The ship’s captain, James Cutfield, was reportedly questioned by authorities for two hours as they began speaking to all crew members.
Watch live: Italy rescuers search for final missing person from sunken Bayesian superyacht
08:37
Holly Evans
Fifth body brought ashore by Italian search teams
08:17
Holly Evans
The fifth body located by Italian search teams has been recovered from the sunken Bayesian yacht and brought to shore.
A fire service boat with flashing blue lights returned with a blue body bag to Porticello at just after 8.45am local time on Thursday.
Seven key unanswered questions around the sinking of the Bayesian
07:57
Andy Gregory
With the Bayesian lying on her side 50 metres underneath the now gentle waters of the Mediterranean, mystery still surrounds how the 56-metre superyacht, sank in the typhoon off the port of Porticello.
Remotely controlled underwater vehicles and cave divers are looking to raise the yacht, which experts will examine in the coming days.
It will take weeks for Ambrogio Cartosio, the chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, and his team to establish whether the sinking of the Bayesian was down to human error, an unpredictable weather event or whether anyone is liable.
They have said they will interview the survivors in the coming days – some of whom were pictured leaving the Domina Zagarella hotel in Santa Flavia, which has become the headquarters for survivors, police and rescuers.
My colleague Barney Davis takes a look at some of the key unanswered questions in this report:
Search to resume for remaining person missing after luxury yacht disaster
07:44
Andy Gregory
The search will resume for the remaining person missing after a luxury yacht sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily following the discovery of five bodies inside the wreck, reports Ellie Ng.
Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, confirmed that of the five bodies found on Wednesday, only four had been recovered, and the whereabouts of the missing sixth person remain unknown.
Identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified. Body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon, with the process of bringing the fifth body to shore being described by Mr Cocina as “ongoing”.
He said searches will resume on Thursday morning, and that there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority is finding the missing.
British tourist held baby above waves after yacht sank, Italian doctor says
07:35
Andy Gregory
An Italian doctor at the hospital where British tourist Charlotte Emsley and her one-year-old daughter were taken said the mother held her baby above the waves after the yacht sank.
Dr Domenico Cipolla, of Di Cristina Children’s Hospital in Palermo, told the PA news agency: “The child and the mother went to the hotel near Porticello on Tuesday, they are both in a good condition.
“Obviously the mother and the husband were so shaken by what has happened, it was a tragedy for them.
“She told me that two minutes after falling asleep with her baby they were in the water, she did not understand how this happened, it went dark. Her partner was not with her, he was in another room.
“She held the child high in her arms above the waves, for a few seconds the baby was in the water but she saved her.”
Mapped: Where Bayesian sank off coast of Sicily as search enters fourth day
07:00
Tara Cobham
Why did the superyacht Bayesian sink?
06:00
Tara Cobham
Hatches and doors left open overnight on the superyacht Bayesian may have caused it to sink in Italy, a sailing expert has said.
Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, believes the vessel’s huge mast is also likely to have contributed to the deadly event.
It is believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout.
Weather records show temperatures reached around 33C the day before the sinking, which may have led to the vessel’s occupants wanting air to flow through while they slept.
Mr Jefferson told the PA news agency: “I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.
“I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.
“The reason it got pinned over so hard was because the mast is huge. It acted almost like a sail. (It) pushed the boat hard over on its side. (The boat) filled with water before it could right.
“This is all speculation, but that’s the only logical explanation.”
Mr Jefferson added that such incidents are “incredibly rare”, describing the chances of a yacht being hit by a waterspout as “minuscule”.
The yacht’s aluminium mast measures 72 metres, making it one of the largest in the world among sailing yachts.
Karsten Borner, the captain of another yacht which was near Bayesian, told news agency Reuters he witnessed the ship go “flat on the water, and then down”.
Salvo Cocina, of Sicily’s civil protection agency, said: “They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Watch: Moment Bayesian yacht engulfed by storm
05:00
Tara Cobham
Bayesian was victim of ‘high impact’ weather-related incident, says expert
04:00
Tara Cobham
The Bayesian was the victim of a “high impact” weather-related incident, Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, a UK-based non-profit organisation that trains sea rescuers, has said.
"If it was a water spout, which it appears to be, it's what I would class as like a black swan event," he told Reuters, meaning a rare and unpredictable phenomenon.
Survivors recuperate at hotel complex in Porticello
03:00
Tara Cobham
Survivors have been recuperating at a hotel complex in Porticello.
Authorities have been gathering witness statements from them there.
The curious life of Mike Lynch – who believed dogs could read our minds
02:00
Tara Cobham
Just under 10 weeks ago, 59-year-old Mike Lynch was on trial in San Francisco on 17 charges of fraud. He was almost guaranteed to receive a 25-year sentence.
He was terrified that he would die in a US prison, not because he was guilty – he had spent £30m on legal fees arguing his innocence – but because it’s almost unheard of in the US to win a case against the US Justice Department. His chances of winning were put at 0.5 per cent. However, after 13 years of putting together detailed evidence to support his plea, he was acquitted and it felt like a miracle.
Once back in the UK, Lynch set about celebrating what he called his second life. Through tears, he told one interviewer how even the traffic in London seemed magical. “I’m just thinking this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” he said.
Jonathan Margolis writes:
Full story: Five bodies found inside wreck of sunken superyacht Bayesian off coast of Sicily
01:00
Tara Cobham
Five bodies have been discovered inside the wreck of the luxury superyacht Bayesian after it sank in a severe storm off the coast of Sicily.
Only four of the five bodies found on Wednesday have so far been recovered, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said on Wednesday evening, while the whereabouts of the sixth missing person remain unknown.
British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the six people unaccounted for after his vessel sank at around 5am on Monday near the Sicilian capital of Palermo, having been caught in a violent tornado, known as a waterspout.
Read the full story here:
In pictures: Four bodies recovered from Bayesian superyacht are brought ashore
Thursday 22 August 2024 00:00
Tara Cobham
Bayesian’s captain described as ‘very good sailor and well respected'
Wednesday 21 August 2024 23:00
Tara Cobham
The Bayesian's captain, James Cutfield, is a “very good sailor” and “very well respected” in the Mediterranean, his brother Mark has told The New Zealand Herald.
The 51-year-old New Zealander survived the shipwreck.
Captain of yacht who helped rescue 15 survivors of Bayesian disaster tells of ordeal
Wednesday 21 August 2024 22:17
Tara Cobham
The captain of a yacht who helped to rescue 15 people from the stricken Bayesian superyacht has described how his crew spotted the distress flare set off from a life raft.
Karsten Borner said his vessel, the Sir Robert BP, was about 150 to 200 metres from the Bayesian when the "extreme" weather hit.
He said his boat was using its engine to stay in position and the crew noticed the Bayesian had disappeared before a passenger on his yacht spotted the flare.
Mr Borner said they dispatched their tender which found the life raft and brought the occupants back to his yacht.
He told Sky News: "We couldn't see them anymore and they disappeared from the radar, we were busy keeping our own ship sailing. We couldn't see the ship again so we were aware something was very wrong."
He said it was only when the tender set out that they found the life raft.
He said: "It turned out to be the life raft, a 12-person life raft with 15 people inside including one baby. They stepped over to our tender and we brought them back to our ship. There we took good care of them, gave them dry clothes, towels, blankets, tea and coffee and so on and took care of them."
Mr Borner said he helped the coastguard launch its search and rescue mission for the other occupants of the Bayesian.
He added that the captain of the Bayesian told him the yacht had sunk in two minutes but he had since seen a video which showed it go down in 60 seconds.
He said: "The engineer and captain had no explanation why she sank so quickly. My personal opinion is it shouldn't tip like this, it goes against any logic."
He also questioned the safety of the Bayesian's 75-metre mast and added: "I think it's not safe to build the masts."
Describing the strength of the storm and sea spouts that hit his yacht and the Bayesian, he said: "They were very close and we were hit very hard, very strong and they had the same. It was extreme, it was extremely strong."
Who are the people missing?
Wednesday 21 August 2024 22:00
Tara Cobham
Five bodies have been found in the search for six people missing after the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily.
The island’s civil protection agency confirmed on Wednesday that four out of the five bodies have been recovered and a sixth person remains unaccounted for.
It comes after the body of a chef on the superyacht, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered on Monday.
Here is detailed what we know of those who were on board:
Identities of recovered bodies not yet confirmed by authorities
Wednesday 21 August 2024 21:02
Tara Cobham
Identities of the recovered bodies have not been confirmed by authorities, despite local and international media reporting some had been identified.
Technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people unaccounted for after the yacht, named Bayesian, sank at around 5am on Monday.
Dozens of emergency services personnel lined port when bodies taken to shore
Wednesday 21 August 2024 20:15
Tara Cobham
Dozens of personnel from the Italian Coastguard and local fire service lined the port when the bodies were being taken to shore.
Ambulances were seen taking them away, escorted by police cars.
Hundreds of locals gathered to watch, as church bells were heard ringing out.
Searches finish for day, with one person still missing, confirms civil protection agency
Wednesday 21 August 2024 19:42
Tara Cobham
The head of Sicily's civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina has 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, Mr Cocina said.
In pictures: Body bag brought ashore by divers after Bayesian tragedy
Wednesday 21 August 2024 19:34
Tara Cobham
Seven key unanswered questions around the sinking of the Bayesian
Wednesday 21 August 2024 18:52
Tara Cobham
With the Bayesian lying on her side 50 metres underneath the now gentle waters of the Mediterranean, mystery still surrounds how the 56-metre superyacht, sank in the typhoon off the port of Porticello.
Remotely controlled underwater vehicles and cave divers are looking to raise the yacht, which experts will examine in the coming days. For now, the focus is on finding the people missing since the yacht went down in the early hours of Monday 19 August.
It will take weeks for Ambrogio Cartosio, the chief prosecutor of Termini Imerese, and his team to establish whether the sinking of the Bayesian was down to human error, an unpredictable weather event or whether anyone is liable.
My colleague Barney Davis reports:
Five bodies now found on sunken luxury yacht off coast of Sicily
Wednesday 21 August 2024 18:13
Tara Cobham
Five bodies have been now found inside the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily.
Three body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon following the sinking of the yacht at around 5am on Monday.
The head of Sicily's civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said that four bodies had been recovered and efforts to bring a fifth to shore were "ongoing".
He said there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority was to find those who are still missing.
As the three body bags were taken back to the port of Porticello, dozens of emergency services staff were waiting, and one was seen being put in the back of an ambulance.
Coastguard questions survivors including Bayesian captain
Wednesday 21 August 2024 17:57
Tara Cobham
The coastguard has been questioning survivors, including the captain of the Bayesian, and passengers on the yacht that was moored next to it who witnessed the ship going down, judicial sources said.
No one is under investigation at the moment, sources added.
Besides the diving team, the coastguard has deployed a remotely operated vehicle to scan the seabed and take underwater pictures and videos that it said may provide “useful and timely elements” for prosecutors looking into the disaster.
Experts have been at a loss to explain how a large luxury vessel, presumed to have top-class fittings and safety features, could have sunk within minutes, as recounted by witnesses. The yacht anchored next to it was unharmed by the storm.
Three body bags seen being taken to Porticello port
Wednesday 21 August 2024 17:41
Tara Cobham
Three body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello on Wednesday afternoon following the sinking of the yacht.
The three bodies brought ashore were taken to nearby hospitals for formal identification, while the fourth corpse was being taken to land as evening set in.
The identities of the victims were not immediately given by the authorities.
The head of Sicily's civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina confirmed two bodies had initially been found on the Bayesian, followed by two more later in the afternoon.
He said there will be an investigation in due course, but the priority was to find those who are still missing.
Watch live: Search resumes after four bodies found inside Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht
Wednesday 21 August 2024 17:17
Tara Cobham
Watch a live view of a port in Palermo, Italy, on Wednesday (21 August) as a search operation resumes after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of the Sicilian city:
Tributes paid to ‘incredibly talented’ chef who died on sunken superyacht in Sicily
Wednesday 21 August 2024 16:58
Holly Evans
Tributes have been paid to a chef whose body was recovered after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily, as rescuers fear six people are still trapped inside the wreck.
Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht, was found by the Italian coastguard near the sunken boat.
A friend of Mr Thomas, who asked to remain anonymous, said the yachting community has been saddened by his death.
Read the full article here:
Ambulance leaves the harbour as search continues
Wednesday 21 August 2024 16:46
Holly Evans
An ambulance ahs been pictured leaving the harbour after a body bag was brought ashore at Porticello by rescue workers.
Identities of bodies remain unknown
Wednesday 21 August 2024 16:21
Holly Evans
The identities of the four bodies that have been found inside the Bayesian yacht have not yet been identified, with two brought in body bags to shore.
One of the bodies belonged to a heavily built man, a source close to rescue operations said, while the second was that of a woman, Italian news agency Adnkronos said.
Two more bodies found inside yacht
Wednesday 21 August 2024 16:09
Holly Evans
Two further bodies have been found in a luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, a source close to the matter said on Wednesday.
The boat, owned by the wife of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was carrying 22 passengers and crew and was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it capsized during a fierce, pre-dawn storm on Monday.
Two corpses were brought ashore from the wreck earlier on Wednesday.
Yacht's captain questioned for more than two hours
Wednesday 21 August 2024 15:55
Holly Evans
The yacht’s captain was reportedly questioned for more than two hours by investigators who are looking into the shipwreck.
James Cutfield, 51, who is from New Zealand, was questioned on Tuesday evening to help provide technical details and for prosecutors to have a clearer understanding of the boat’s final moments.
His brother Mark earlier told the New Zealand Herald he was a “very good sailor” and “very well respected” in the Mediterranean.
Body bag brought ashore as search efforts continue
Wednesday 21 August 2024 15:37
Holly Evans
A body bag has been brought ashore after emergency services confirmed that two bodies had been discovered in the wreck of the superyacht Bayesian.
Who are the divers searching for?
Wednesday 21 August 2024 15:28
Holly Evans
Specialist divers have been searching for six people who went missing when the Bayesian yacht sunk in the Mediterranean Sea.
They include British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who owned the boat, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, as well as Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International and his wife Judye Bloomer and Clifford Chance partner Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.
Body appears to have been pulled from the water
Wednesday 21 August 2024 15:11
Holly Evans
A body appeared to be pulled from the water near the site of the sunken Bayesian yacht on Wednesday afternoon.
A green body bag was taken back to the port of Porticello where dozens of emergency services staff were waiting.
Latest pictures: Several boats travel to scene as bodies found
Wednesday 21 August 2024 15:08
Holly Evans
Bodies reportedly found behind mattresses
Wednesday 21 August 2024 14:57
Holly Evans
According to reports in Italian media, the two bodies were found inside the boat behind two mattresses.
They are the second and third victims to be found, after chef Recaldo Thomas was recovered from the water on Monday.
Several boats leave Porticello to go to sinking site
Wednesday 21 August 2024 14:44
Holly Evans
Several boats have left the port of Porticello to go to the site of the sinking.
They left the port at the same time shortly before 3.30pm on Wednesday.
Source says one of the two bodies is that of a ‘heavily built man’
Wednesday 21 August 2024 14:37
Holly Evans
Rescue teams have not confirmed the identities of the drowned people, who were recovered after a three-day search operation involving specialist divers.
A source has said that one of the bodies was that of a “heavily built man”.
Six passengers had been missing after the boat capsized, including British billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
Survivors reportedly turn down counselling
Wednesday 21 August 2024 14:30
Holly Evans
Survivors of the Bayesian reportedly have turned down psychological support.
Salvo Cocina, president of the Civil Protection Agency in Sicily, told MailOnline: “We wanted to make sure that everyone was offered every kind of help they might need, but no-one from the passengers or the crew accepted counselling.”
He added that they still hoped the six people are alive, saying:“The operation is not complete – we don’t differentiate between rescue and recovery in these circumstances, because the people are still in the boat.
“The divers have not yet reached the cabins, so we have not yet given up hope that there may be air pockets in their keeping them alive.”
Breaking: Two bodies found inside Bayesian yacht
Wednesday 21 August 2024 14:28
Holly Evans
Divers scouring the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily have found the bodies of two of the six passengers who were missing, a source close to the matter said.
The boat, owned by the wife of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was carrying 22 passengers and crew and was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it capsized during a fierce, pre-dawn storm on Monday.
Divers with head torches seen entering the water
Wednesday 21 August 2024 14:23
Holly Evans
Divers from the local fire service were seen entering the water with torches attached to their headgear at the site of the shipwreck on Wednesday afternoon.
A police boat and divers were also seen entering the water.
The boats spent a short time at the scene before heading back to the nearby port.
A helicopter hovered overhead.
CCTV footage shows the moment missing tycoon Mike Lynch’s Bayesian yacht is engulfed by storm
Wednesday 21 August 2024 14:10
Holly Evans
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.
Read the full article here:
Who was on board the Bayesian yacht and who is still missing?
Wednesday 21 August 2024 13:50
Holly Evans
Italian authorities fear British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and five others he was holidaying with are trapped inside his yacht which sank in a tornado.
As the desperate search for the missing continues in Sicily for a second day, Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard said the working theory of officials is that they were inside. He said search and rescue efforts are yet to deliver any results.
The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it sank at around 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.
Helicopter drafted in to help with search
Wednesday 21 August 2024 13:27
Holly Evans
A helicopter had been drafted in to help the search effort, as divers from the local fire service were seen entering the water with torches attached to their headgear.
A police boat and divers were also seen entering the water on Wednesday afternoon.
Fire crews from the Vigili del Fuoco said they have been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings.
Industry experts ‘at a loss’ to explain sudden sinking
Wednesday 21 August 2024 12:58
Holly Evans
Experts have been at a loss to explain how a large luxury vessel, presumed to have top-class fittings and safety features, could have sunk within minutes, as recounted by witnesses. Another yacht anchored next to it was unharmed by the tempest.
The Bayesian, which was owned by Lynch’s wife, was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and last refitted in 2020. It had the world’s tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres, according to its makers.
Its captain James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander who survived the shipwreck, was a “very good sailor” and “very well respected” in the Mediterranean, his brother Mark told The New Zealand Herald.
Efforts to enter yacht have been hampered by ‘very confined’ spaces
Wednesday 21 August 2024 12:40
Holly Evans
Efforts to locate the missing people have been hampered by “very confined” spaces inside the wreck, fire department spokesman Luca Cari has said.
The Italian coast guard said it was using a remotely operated vehicle to inspect the seabed and take underwater pictures.
An upgraded underwater drone has also been deployed at the site of the wreckage.
Floorplan of sunken yacht shows guest cabins
Wednesday 21 August 2024 12:30
Holly Evans
A floorplan of the sunken Bayesian yacht shows that a number of guest cabins were situated in the middle of the boar, between the technical area and crew area.
Specialist divers are now trying to access the area, to explore whether the six missing tourists became trapped inside.
How sailors can use air pockets to survive in capsized boats for days
Wednesday 21 August 2024 12:13
Holly Evans
