AngloPress:--- Emergency workers in southern Italy continue their search for six individuals missing after a tornado sank a luxury yacht early Monday, leading to an extensive air and naval operation off the coast of Sicily.
The Italian Coast Guard reported that 15 people were rescued from the wreckage on Monday, and one body was later recovered from the hull of the damaged vessel.
Among those missing are two Americans and four Britons, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and prominent lawyer Chris Morvillo.
Here’s What We Know
What Happened?
Early Monday, a small waterspout—a type of tornado—formed over the Mediterranean island, likely causing the sailing boat to capsize amid heavy rain and intense thunderstorms.
The British-flagged yacht, named “Bayesian,” was anchored about half a mile from the port of Porticello on Sicily’s northern coast. The vessel sank after its mast broke in the storm, according to Salvatore Cocina, head of Sicily’s Civil Protection, who spoke to CNN on Tuesday.
Eyewitnesses reported fierce gales and hurricane-like winds, which scattered debris near the pier.
More than a dozen survivors were seen clinging to life rafts in the area, according to the captain of a nearby vessel. He maneuvered his ship to avoid colliding with the Bayesian.
“We experienced a powerful hurricane gust and had to start the engine to keep our ship positioned correctly,” said Captain Karsten Bower in Palermo on Monday. “When the storm passed, we noticed that the ship behind us was missing.”
Bower and his crew rescued four injured individuals before contacting Italy’s Coast Guard, who then saved the remaining survivors.
One of those rescued, a child, was airlifted to a children’s hospital in Palermo. In total, eight people were hospitalized, according to the mayor’s office.
The child’s mother, Charlotte, recounted her struggle to keep hold of her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, as reported by Italian news agency ANSA.
“In a matter of seconds, I lost the baby in the sea, but I quickly pulled her back to me amidst the chaotic waves. I held her tightly while the storm raged around us,” Charlotte told journalists. “Many people were screaming.”
The mother and daughter were eventually reunited with the father, James, at the local children’s hospital in Palermo.
Dr. Domenico Cipolla, who attended to the survivors, said on Monday, “The survivors are extremely exhausted and continuously asking about the missing individuals. They are talking and crying constantly as they come to terms with the slim chances of finding their friends alive.”
Italy’s fire brigade deployed helicopters to assist in the search, officials reported Monday. They also planned to send divers to explore the sunken vessel on Tuesday, following an unsuccessful attempt the previous day.
Due to the wreck's depth, divers are limited in how long they can work there. Marco Tilotta, an inspector with Palermo’s local fire brigade diving unit, noted that the divers had reached the yacht’s hull, which is located 49 meters (160 feet) below sea level.
The United Kingdom’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will send a team of four inspectors to Palermo for a preliminary assessment of the scene, according to a source familiar with the operations who spoke to CNN anonymously.
Who Was On Board?
The yacht Bayesian, flying under a British flag, had 22 people on board, including mostly British passengers and crew, along with two Anglo-French, one Irish, and one Sri Lankan individual, a spokesperson for Italy’s Coast Guard told CNN.
Among the missing are high-profile figures such as Mike Lynch, the 59-year-old British tech investor who faced a fraud case in the United States earlier this year related to the $11 billion sale of his company to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. His 18-year-old daughter is also reported missing. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, survived the incident. She recounted to Italian daily La Repubblica that she awoke at 4 a.m. to find the boat tilting. Initially unconcerned, she and her husband became alarmed when the yacht's windows shattered and chaos ensued.
Bacares spoke from a wheelchair at a hospital in Termini Imerese, Sicily, where she was treated for abrasions and bandages on various parts of her body.
Also among the missing are finance tycoon Jonathan Bloomer, prominent lawyer Chris Morvillo, and their spouses, according to Salvatore Cocina, head of Sicily’s Civil Protection. Morvillo, a partner at Clifford Chance, had a role in successfully contesting Lynch’s fraud case in June. Another Clifford Chance employee, Ayla Ronald, and her partner survived the incident, according to a spokesperson for the firm.
What Do We Know About the Boat?
The 56-meter (184-foot) yacht, named *Bayesian*, was built in 2008 by the Italian company Perini Navi, according to Reuters. The Associated Press reported that the yacht was available for charter at a rate of $215,000 (€195,000) per week.The vessel is owned by Revtom Limited, with Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, listed as the proprietor in the company’s latest annual return from April, as per maritime information service Equasis. The name "Bayesian" is associated with the statistical theory that contributed to Lynch’s success.
The yacht featured a mast standing 72.27 meters (237 feet) above the waterline, just short of the world’s tallest mast, which measures 75.2 meters, according to Guinness World Records. It held the record for the tallest aluminum mast in the world, as stated on the Perini Navi website.
Perini Navi is known for producing high-quality boats, according to Caroline White, deputy editor of BOAT International. White told CNN that if the Bayesian lost its mast, it should theoretically become more stable. However, she noted that “in the midst of a violent storm with incredibly strong winds,” stability might be compromised.
**Dangerous Weather Conditions**
Severe storms across Sicily brought heavy rainfall late Sunday. Initial reports suggest that a small waterspout, which formed over the area Monday morning, may have contributed to the yacht’s sinking.
Waterspouts are spinning columns of air that form over water or move from land to water. They often come with high winds, rough seas, hail, and dangerous lightning. While more common over tropical oceans, waterspouts can occur almost anywhere.
These phenomena draw energy from warm waters, and the Mediterranean Sea has been unusually hot, reaching a record daily median of 28.9°C (84°F) last week, according to preliminary data from Spain’s Institute of Marine Sciences. Local temperatures around Sicily were even higher, nearing 30°C (86°F), about 3°C above normal, as reported by Italian climatologist Luca Mercalli.
“Warmer oceans provide more energy and humidity to the atmosphere, which are crucial for storm development,” Mercalli explained to AngloPress.
Tags:
World