Sicily yacht sinking live: divers yet to gain entry to boat as search for tech tycoon Mike Lynch and Bayesian passengers continues

'We have not yet entered the boat', firefighters chief says as search efforts continue

Lorenzo Tondo

Lorenzo Tondo reporting from Porticello

Rescue efforts for the six missing persons from the shipwreck of the sailboat Bayesian, which sank yesterday morning off the coast of Porticello, resumed this morning.

The cave-diving and diving teams of Italy’s firefighters, who arrived from Rome, Sassari, and Cagliari yesterday, have just completed another dive.

Marco Tilotta, chief of the firefighters divers in Palermo leading the search, explains that there are numerous challenges in recovering the bodies, foremost being the depth of the vessel.

“We have just completed the latest dive to inspect the boat,” Tilotta told the Guardian.

He added:

The greatest challenge is the depth, which does not allow for immediate interventions. You have to consider that when we go underwater, we have 3 minutes to descend and 8 minutes to work on the wreck. Then we have to begin the ascent phase.

There is also the problem of accessing the vessel with all the belongings inside and the fact that the boat is positioned at 90 degrees.

We have not yet entered the boat. We plan to do so soon and inspect every inch of the vessel.

Tilotta said that besides one body found yesterday, no other bodies have been located.

Search effots in Porticello Photograph: Lorenzo Tondo/The Guardian

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A team of psychologists from the Palermo Health Authority and the civil protection is providing assistance to the survivors who have been accommodated at the Domina Zagarella hotel.

Among them is Angela Bacares, the 57-year-old wife of Mike Lynch and mother of teenager Hannah Lynch, who are both missing.

Yesterday, Bacares received medical treatment at a hospital in Termini Imerese before being transferred to the Domina Hotel, visibly in shock and using a wheelchair.

'They were in the wrong place at the wrong time': eyewitness describes how storm hit yacht

Lorenzo Tondo reporting from Porticello

Fabio Cefalù, 36, a fisher from Porticello, was one of the first to attempt providing assistance to the Beyesian.

“I arrived at the port at 3:30 for a fishing trip,” he told the Guardian. “But when we saw the first flashes of lightning, we decided to stop. At 3:55, a mini tornado arrived. The docks of the port diverted it and it hit the sailboat head-on. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Cefalù said that the whirlwind lasted about “10 minutes with strong winds and rain.”

“We saw a flare 500 meters from the dock,” he said, adding:

We went to see what had happened. We only saw the floating debris of the boat. We immediately called the Coast Guard.

The sea was terrible. The wind very strong. The storm destroyed my solar panels. The vessel was hit head-on. I thought I would find someone in the sea. But nothing. The boat had disappeared from the radar.

In my opinion, the missing passengers are still on board. They were caught in their sleep by the storm and didn’t have time to get out.

'Within a few minutes, there was nothing left': captain of nearby boat describes Bayesian sinking

Karsten Borner, 69, the captain of a nearby sailboat that was right next to the Bayesian, said that the vessel carrying Mike Lynch and 21 other passengers sank within minutes.

“We were also awakened by the storm,” Karsten told The Guardian.

“The first thing I did was to start the engines of my sailboat to give more stability to the vessel. I don’t know if the Bayesian did the same. It seems like they were also suddenly caught by the storm,” he said.

“After securing our boat, we immediately approached the Bayesian. But it had already sunk. I have never seen a vessel of this size go down so quickly. Within a few minutes, there was nothing left. Then we saw the raft with the 15 passengers. It was a tragedy,” he added.

A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley said the bank was “shocked and saddened” by news that non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley Jonathan Bloomer was among those missing, the PA news agency reported.

The family of Stephen Chamberlain, co-defendant in the US trial of missing technology tycoon Mike Lynch, have described him as “a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend” following his death after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday, the PA news agency reported.

'We have not yet entered the boat', firefighters chief says as search efforts continue

Lorenzo Tondo reporting from Porticello

Rescue efforts for the six missing persons from the shipwreck of the sailboat Bayesian, which sank yesterday morning off the coast of Porticello, resumed this morning.

The cave-diving and diving teams of Italy’s firefighters, who arrived from Rome, Sassari, and Cagliari yesterday, have just completed another dive.

Marco Tilotta, chief of the firefighters divers in Palermo leading the search, explains that there are numerous challenges in recovering the bodies, foremost being the depth of the vessel.

“We have just completed the latest dive to inspect the boat,” Tilotta told the Guardian.

He added:

The greatest challenge is the depth, which does not allow for immediate interventions. You have to consider that when we go underwater, we have 3 minutes to descend and 8 minutes to work on the wreck. Then we have to begin the ascent phase.

There is also the problem of accessing the vessel with all the belongings inside and the fact that the boat is positioned at 90 degrees.

We have not yet entered the boat. We plan to do so soon and inspect every inch of the vessel.

Tilotta said that besides one body found yesterday, no other bodies have been located.

The boss of insurance group Hiscox, Aki Hussain, said he is “deeply shocked and saddened” as he confirmed the company’s non-executive chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer are among those missing, the PA news agency reported.

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.

Bloomer is also chairman of Morgan Stanley .

The British government’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch said four inspectors had been sent to Sicily to conduct a “preliminary assessment,” Reuters reported.

One expert at the scene who declined to be named said an early focus of the investigation would be whether the yacht’s crew had had time to close access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck.

Here are images from the search operation in Sicily.

Here’s a map of the area where the yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday.

Fresh search underway for six missing people following superyacht sinking

Specialist Italian divers have launched a fresh search for six people missing since their yacht capsized off Sicily before dawn on Monday, AFP reported.

The yacht, the British-flagged Bayesian, had 22 people aboard including 10 crew.

Six people, including UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch, are still missing.

Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares was among 15 people rescued, but the businessman and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were missing, Salvo Cocina, head of the Civil Protection Agency in Sicily, told AFP.

Morgan Stanley bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo are also missing.

A first search of the wreck some 50 metres below the sea surface failed.

“Access was limited only to the bridge, with difficulty due to the presence of furniture obstructing passage,” the firefighters said.