Missing passengers on superyacht are 'probably dead' after being trapped inside ship as it sank, coastguard says
20 August 2024, 16:56 | Updated: 20 August 2024, 16:57
Mike Lynch, his daughter and the four other people who are missing after the super-yacht they were in sank on Monday are probably dead, the Italian coastguard has said.
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The luxury yacht Bayesian was hit by a tornado yesterday at about 5am local time. Some 15 people were rescued but tech tycoon Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among six people not accounted for.
Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo are also missing.
Divers have been trying to find the missing passengers inside the yacht, which is largely intact and lying on the seabed near the coast of Sicily.
Officials believe that the missing people are trapped inside because the boat sank quickly and search and rescue efforts by sea and air have so far delivered no results.
Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian coastguard, said "We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.
"Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours.
"Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.
"We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat."
Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he replied: "Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not."
Earlier, an engineer who helped with the search for the cruise ship Costa Concordia said divers had entered a "critical" 24 hour period.
Nick Sloane told Sky News: "They've got a very small window of time to try to find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued.
"You've got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical."If the yacht is on its side, it might have more air pockets than if it's upright. She's got quite a large keel, and that will deflect and put her on her side, I'm sure."
The ship's captain James Calfield, 51, spoke out from hospital on Tuesday - where he revealed he had no idea the tornado was coming towards the ship.
"We didn't see it coming," he told Italian news outlet La Repubblica.
Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of conducting a massive fraud relating to an 11 billion US dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.
His co-defendant, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.
The British-flagged Bayesian is resting on the seabed at a depth of 50 metres.
Divers loaded a rescue dinghy at the port of Porticello, near Palermo, as the search resumed on Tuesday morning.
Italy's fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said inspections of the wreck on Monday were "unsuccessful" due to furniture obstructing passages.
The ship was moored around half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at about 5am local time on Monday as the area was hit by a storm.
Civil protection officials believe the yacht was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout.
Fifteen of the 22 passengers and crew onboard - including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares - were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.
One body, belonging to the ship's chef Recaldo Thomas, was recovered at the scene.
The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends.
Mr Bloomer is also chairman of insurance provider Hiscox. The Daily Mail reports his wife is also unaccounted for.
Ayla Reynold, a New Zealand national working at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal. Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to the Telegraph she had been invited aboard as a thanks for assistance in Mr Lynch's recent court case.
"I have texted my daughter and she hasn't given me any updates about missing personnel or saved personnel. She has only said that there are deaths and she and her partner are alive," he said.
"Ayla is a lawyer who is part of the legal team that were invited to go sailing as a result of the success in the recent United States court case."
Sicily's civil protection agency told the BBC that 18-year-old Hannah Lynch was among those missing with her father, along with the yacht's chef.
The yacht was carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers.
The daily Il Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported that the vessel had mostly British passengers on board, but also people from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland and British-French citizens.
One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told la Repubblica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.
She said: "I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.
"It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."
Charlotte and Sofia were treated in hospital, as was Sofia's father, James Emsley.
Karsten Borner, captain of a nearby boat, told journalists those missing included the Bayesian's owner and a child, news agency Reuters reported.
He said his crew took on board some survivors who were on a life raft, including three who were seriously injured.
He added: "I think they are inside, all the missing people."
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Monday: "We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected."
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said four of its inspectors were being deployed to Palermo.
A basic assessment of the scene would be made by the team, with no investigation launched at this stage, the PA news agency understands.
Bayesian completed a number of sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily, according to ship-tracking website VesselFinder.
The superyacht could accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, and was listed for rent for up to 195,000 euros (£166,000) a week.
She was built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi.
Her registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd, which is based on the Isle of Man.
Gary Lincenberg, Mr Chamberlain's lawyer, said in a statement provided to PA: "Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running.
"He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We deeply miss him.
"Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family."
