PORTICELLO, Sicily (AP) — The Italian coast guard said Thursday the body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch is among those recovered off the coast of Sicily from the wreckage of a superyacht whose builders had called it unsinkable.
The bodies of Lynch and four others were recovered by rescue crews. One woman remains missing.
The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (half a mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believe the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.
Fifteen of the 22 people aboard survived, including a mother who reported holding her 1-year-old baby over the waves to save her. Lynch had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with the people who had defended him at trial.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
PORTICELLO, Sicily (AP) — Rescuers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily brought ashore a fifth body on Thursday, leaving one person still unlocated, as investigators sought to learn why the vessel sank so quickly.
Rescue crews brought the body bag ashore at Porticello port while divers continued to search for the sixth missing person, whom the coast guard identified as a woman. That suggested that the recovered bodies included that of British tech magnate Mike Lynch.
Also among the six missing passengers were Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter and associates who had successfully defended him in a recent U.S. federal fraud trial.
“We would need a crystal ball to know when we’ll be able to find the next body,” said Luca Cari, spokesperson for the fire rescue service.
“It’s very difficult to move inside the wreckage. Moving just one meter can take up to 24 hours,” Cari said.
The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (half mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believe the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, and sank quickly.