Sicily yacht sinking: Body of last missing person, believed to be of Lynch's daughter, found
Aug. 23, 2024, 10:53 a.m.
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Italian rescue divers have found the body of the last person missing after British tech magnate Mike Lynch’s family yacht sank off Sicily, believed to be his daughter Hannah, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Friday.
The Bayesian, a British-flagged luxury sailboat measuring 56 meters (184 feet) in length and carrying 22 passengers and crew, was anchored off the port of Porticello near Palermo when it capsized and sank rapidly after being hit by a storm in the early morning hours of Monday.
Advertisement Although authorities didn't confirm the body belonged to 18-year-old Hannah Lynch, she was the only person still missing. Italian news agency Adnkronos reported she was found inside the yacht.
The wreck is lying at a depth of 50 metres and once inside the passageways are narrow. The fire brigade on Friday described rescue operations as “long and delicate”, and said they involved more than 400 people, including 28 specialist divers.
The remains of the other five deceased passengers, including Lynch, were retrieved on Wednesday and Thursday from within the yacht. The body of the lone crew member who perished, onboard chef Recaldo Thomas, was discovered near the wreckage on Monday.
Official identification of the bodies and autopsies are expected to commence following the transfer of the last recovered body to a hospital morgue in Palermo.
A judicial inquiry has been launched into the sinking, which has puzzled naval marine experts who say a vessel like the Bayesian, built by Italian luxury yacht manufacturer Perini, should have withstood the storm.
The yacht’s captain James Cutfield, his eight surviving crew members and passengers have been questioned by police, but have not made public comments. Investigating prosecutors are due to hold a press conference on Saturday.
Complex salvage operation
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, told Reuters the shipwreck was the result of a string of “indescribable, unreasonable errors” made by the crew, and ruled out any design or construction failings.
The process of lifting the wreckage from the sea, where it currently rests on its side, apparently undamaged, might aid investigators in determining the cause of the incident. However, the operation is expected to be complex and expensive.
Nick Sloane, a South African engineer who led the salvage operation of the Costa Concordia cruise liner that sank in 2012, said in Italian media interviews on Friday that the operation to raise the sailboat would cost up to 15 million euros ($16.7 million).
He told daily La Repubblica that recovering the yacht would take six to eight weeks, including preparatory work, and would have to be completed by mid-October, without specifying the reasons for the deadline.
Advertisement Bringing the yacht to the surface will have to be done “very, very slowly”, and might take a couple of days, he said.
