Key Points
- A luxury yacht capsized off Sicily, leaving one dead and six missing, including UK tech magnate Mike Lynch.
- Fifteen people have been rescued and eight were hospitalised after storm hit the 56m yacht.
- The Bayesian, notable for its tall mast, was moored near Porticello when a waterspout struck.
The ship had overturned around 5am local time (1pm AEDT) on Monday off the port of Porticello.
Lynch, who was acquitted in June in a big US fraud trial, was among the six people who remain unaccounted for after their chartered sailboat sank off Porticello, when a tornado over the water known as a waterspout struck the area overnight, said Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency.
Health workers carry a body bag on the pier as rescue operation continues for the missing people who were on board a superyacht that sank in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, 19 August 2024. Source: ANSA / IGOR PETYX/EPA
One body has been recovered, and police divers were trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was resting at a depth of 50 metres off Porticello, near Palermo, where it had been anchored, rescue authorities said.
The Bayesian was notable for its single 75-metre mast, one of the world’s tallest made of aluminium and which was lit up at night, just hours before it sank.
British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is missing after the luxury yacht, Bayesian sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily, sources said. Source: AAP / Yui Mok
Online charter sites list it for rent for up to 195,000 euros (about $321,000) a week.
One body believed to be the cook was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for and believed inside the hull, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service said.
Authorities said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries: In addition to Britain and the United States, passengers and crew were from Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.
The vessel, which previously was named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag, featured a sleek, minimalist interior of light wood with Japanese accents designed by the French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions and photos on the charter sites.
