Tragic discovery: During the search for the passengers of a Bayesian superyacht, five bodies were found, one of them still…

21 August 2024, 23:05

During the search for the six missing passengers of the Bayesian superyacht, five bodies were found on Wednesday afternoon after it sank on Monday.

Six people were reported missing after the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday morning.

They were British technology magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, banker Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

Italian authorities confirmed the discovery of five bodies on Wednesday afternoon, but did not give any names.

Four of them were brought back to land at nightfall on Wednesday.

Read more: Sailing yachts like Mike Lynch’s are “unsinkable,” claims the CEO of the company that builds them

This means that the deaths of six of the 22 people on board the yacht have been confirmed after the body of cook Recaldo Thomas was found earlier this week.

Several media outlets reported that Mr Lynch and Hannah were identified among the people found. However, this was not confirmed by the Italian authorities.

The search was called off at around 8.30pm local time (7.30pm UK time) and will resume on Thursday morning.

The general director of the Sicilian Civil Protection, Salvo Cocina, said: “On behalf of my colleagues and myself, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences to them during this difficult time.”

Despite some reports in Italian and international media, authorities have not yet officially identified the bodies found during today's search.

This is probably because they are waiting to find all six missing people before informing their families and confirming their identities.

About 15 people were rescued after the accident.

The captain is recovering in hospital and has spoken for the first time since the shipping accident earlier this week.

Read more: Superyacht tragedy: Who is still missing and who has been rescued? What is known so far

Captain James Cutfield, 51, is a “respected” sailor and has worked on boats since his youth, his brother said.

Hope is fading for the missing passengers as rescuers fear they are trapped inside the yacht.

Mr Cutfield, who is currently in hospital, spoke out for the first time earlier this week and told local media about a sudden fountain of water that caused the ship to sink.

“We just didn’t see it coming,” he said.

His brother Mark has since commented on the matter, saying that he is a “very good sailor” and enjoys “great respect” in the Mediterranean.

He confirmed to the NZ Herald that Mr Cutfield was still in hospital but had not suffered any “too dramatic” injuries.

“He is safe, he is fine,” he said.

Mr. Cutfield has been a luxury yacht captain for eight years and has worked in the industry for three decades.

The Italian public prosecutor's office has now launched an investigation into the accident. It wants to find out why the boat sank and whether crew members can be held criminally responsible.

An expert on the ground in Sicily told reporters that their first focus would be on whether the access hatches to the ship were closed before the storm hit.

Sam Jefferson, editor of Sailing Today magazine, said: “I would say the boat was hit very hard by the wind and was pushed onto its side.

“I suppose because of the heat all the doors were open and so many hatches and doors were open that it filled with water very quickly and sank.

“The reason it collapsed so violently is because of the enormous size of the mast.”

The Italian Coast Guard does not rule out that they are missing persons.

Jeremy Bloomer, Jonathan Bloomer's twin brother, told the BBC: “It's a slow process and it's going to take some time. So there could be some air pockets, but we don't know. It's still a case of wait and see, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.”

The body recovered from the scene of the accident on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan citizen Recaldo Thomas, who had worked on board the Bayesian superyacht, the Italian coast guard told Sky News.

Gareth Williams, a friend of the chef, told the BBC: “I can speak for everyone who knew him when I say he was a popular, friendly man with a calm spirit.”

Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the outlet that Mr. Thomas was “friends with everyone,” “always positive” and “in demand” in his profession.

Bayesian was anchored about half a mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank at around 5 a.m. local time on Monday as a storm struck the area.

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian coast guard said it was feared that the six missing tourists had died.

When asked how likely it was that they were still alive, he said: “Never say never, but the reasonable answer would have to be no.”

CCTV footage shows the weather in Porticello the morning a luxury yacht sank

He told the PA news agency: “We believe they are still on board, that is our very concrete view.”

“Our search and rescue operation by sea and air has been going on for around 36 hours.

“We do not rule out, of course, that they are not in the boat, but we know that the boat sank quickly.

“We believe that the six missing people may not have had time to leave the boat.”

Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was acquitted in June of massive fraud charges related to the $11 billion (£8.64 billion) sale of the company to US firm Hewlett Packard.

The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Bloomer appeared as a witness for the defence for Mr Lynch at the trial, while media reports suggested that the two were close friends.

A Morgan Stanley spokesman said the bank was “shocked and saddened,” while Clifford Chance called it a “tragic incident.”

David Tabizel, co-founder of Lynch's Autonomy group, told Sky News: “It breaks my heart for him and his family and I hope a miracle happens soon.”

“If anyone has the resilience to survive this, it's him. And I hope he found an air pocket.”

Mr Tabizel added: “He was one of the most influential, intelligent and honorable people I have ever known.”

Lynch's daughter's former school said its “thoughts are with her family and everyone involved.”

A spokesman for Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said: “We are all incredibly shocked to hear that Hannah and her father are among those missing from this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with her family and everyone involved as we await further news.”

Ed Llewellyn, British ambassador to Italy, met some survivors of the sinking in a hotel.

Ayla Ronald, a New Zealander who works at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal.

Her father, Lin Ronald, confirmed to the Telegraph that she had been invited on board as a thank you for her support in the recent legal proceedings against Mr Lynch.

Another survivor, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told the newspaper La Repubblica that she held her one-year-old daughter Sofia in her arms to prevent her from drowning.

Charlotte and Sofia were treated in hospital, as was Sofia's father, James Emsley.