Search for Sicily cruise ship passengers enters third day
A rescue boat of the Vigili del Fuoco, Italian Fire Brigade, operates off Porticello near Palermo, on August 20, 2024, the day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank.
Alberto Pizzoli | Afp | Getty Images
Professional divers have resumed the search for six passengers still missing after a superyacht sank in a storm early on Monday morning, leaving one person dead.
Those reported missing are British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and 18-year-old daughter Hannah; Chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, charitable trustee Judy Bloomer; and Clifford Chance attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo.
On Tuesday, the Italian coast guard confirmed to Sky News that the man who died in the incident was Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian chef of Antiguan origin.
According to eyewitness and survivor reports, the ship was hit by a fierce storm at around 4 a.m. local time on Monday while it was anchored near the Sicilian port of Porticello. It sank quickly after capsizing.
Lynch has pardoned less than three months Lynch was recently indicted by a US court on 15 counts of conspiracy and wire fraud related to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard in 2011. Lynch has long denied artificially inflating the value of the company before the $11.7 billion sale and has 2023 extradition from England to appear in court in the United States
Mike Lynch, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co.’s Autonomy unit, speaks at a conference on Thursday, April 25, 2013.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The trip on the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian was supposed to mark the anniversary of Lynch’s acquittal. Morvillo represented Lynch in the case, while Bloomer — who serves as non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley’s European division — testified for the defense.
Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was on board and was rescued along with 14 others, including a one-year-old baby and his parents.
Rescue teams have reported difficulty reaching the wreck, which lies at a depth of about 50 metres. Divers say the ship appears intact, but narrow access points, thick glass windows and numerous objects and electrical cables are hampering access.
On Tuesday, emergency services said Fire Department divers had examined the wreck and had gained access to some rooms below the control panel. However, access to the cabins remained difficult and the presence of the missing people could not be confirmed, the force added.
The Bayesian, a 56-meter sailing ship that later sank off the Sicilian capital Palermo, is seen in Santa Flavia, Italy on August 18, 2024 in this photo taken from social media.
Baia Santa Nicolicchia | Fabio La Bianca | Via Reuters
In a separate incident on Saturday, Stephen Chamberlain, a former vice president of finance at Autonomy and a co-defendant in Lynch’s trial, died after being hit by a car while fleeing in Cambridgeshire, England, Chamberlain’s lawyer said. told Reuters news agency.
