Bodies found in sunken superyacht ‘are Mike Lynch and daughter’
Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are believed to be among five bodies found in the search of the luxury superyacht Bayesian on Wednesday.
Specialist cave divers continued their search for the missing passengers for a third day, breaking through a 3cm-thick pane of glass to gain access to the £30 million vessel.
Inside, Italian authorities believe that the divers found Mr Lynch and his daughter, along with three other passengers who had gathered on the vessel to celebrate the tech tycoon’s acquittal in a fraud trial.
Four bodies have been brought ashore. Salvo Cocina, the director of Sicily’s civil protection agency, said rescuers had found another body but were yet to recover it. One person remains missing.
Mr Cocina told The Telegraph that he believed Mr Lynch and his daughter had been found.
He added: “On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences to them at this difficult time”.
Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Chris Morvillo, the Clifford Chance lawyer; and Neda Morvillo, his wife, are the other passengers missing since the yacht sank.
With help from remotely controlled underwater vehicles, divers began scouring the wreckage of the Bayesian from 8am. The yacht is lying intact on its starboard side, 165ft underwater.
The robots can be used at depths of 300m and are equipped with “advanced technology to investigate the seabed and record videos and detailed images”, according to the coast guard.
Three body bags were seen being taken to the port of Porticello where dozens of emergency service staff were waiting. One was seen being put into the back of an ambulance.
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James Cutfield, 51, the yacht’s captain, was questioned by prosecutors from the Termini Imerese public prosecutor’s office for two hours yesterday after the vessel sank on Monday morning, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.
Mr Cutfield, originally from Auckland, New Zealand, was described by his brother Mark as a “well-respected” lifelong seafarer.
He said Mr Cutfield had captained luxury yachts for the past eight years, had worked on them since he was a teenager and was a “very good sailor”.
Mark Cutfield told The New Zealand Herald that his brother was recovering in hospital, but that his injuries were not “too dramatic”. He said: “He’s safe, he’s OK.”
In the nearby town of Termini Imerese, prosecutors have opened an investigation into the disaster. They will seek to establish what caused the yacht to sink and establish any criminality.
Prosecutors will investigate the keel on the superyacht after divers found it was “partially elevated”.
Experts have suggested that the keel would normally be fully extended for extra stability when faced with bad weather.
A tornado over water, known as a waterspout, had struck the 184ft yacht with 22 people on board as it moored overnight off Porticello, a fishing village 10 miles east of Palermo.
A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) also arrived in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.
The MAIB is looking into what happened because the Bayesian was flying a British flag and is not involved in the search for the remaining missing passenger, it is understood.
07:47 PM BST
Live coverage ends
That’s all for today. Here is a summary of today’s developments:
Four bodies have been recovered from the sunken superyacht, including Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah.
Divers have found a fifth body, which they are working to recover.
One person remains missing.
Remotely controlled underwater vehicles were used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.
Divers entered the superyacht’s hull by breaking a window.
The captain of the Bayesian was described as a “very good sailor” by his brother.
British inspectors arrived in Sicily to investigate yacht sinking.
07:30 PM BST
Search ends for the day
Sicily’s civil protection agency chief Salvatore Cocina has said that searches have finished for the day and will resume on Thursday.
He confirmed that five bodies have been found, but only four recovered.
One person remains missing, Mr Cocina said.
06:47 PM BST
British investigators likely to contact designer of Mike Lynch’s superyacht
The designer of Mike Lynch’s superyacht Bayesian is likely to be contacted by British investigators.
The vessel was designed by Ron Holland, a naval architect, who now lives in Vancouver.
Gavin Pritchard, a retired Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) inspector, told The Telegraph that Mr Holland would, in the normal way, be contacted by the MAIB as its investigation into the sinking gathers pace.
06:14 PM BST
Fifth body found by rescue divers
The director-general of Sicily’s civil protection agency, Salvo Cocina, confirmed that a fifth body has been found in the sunken superyacht.
Four of the bodies have now been recovered while a fifth has been found but is yet to be brought to shore.
One person remains missing, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
05:33 PM BST
Admiralty nautical chart shows shipwreck area
An extract from Admiralty Chart 963 covering ports on the north coast of Sicilia shows the area in which Mike Lynch’s superyacht sank on Monday.
Although the precise spot where Bayesian sank has not been disclosed by the authorities, it is known to be about half a mile south-east of Porticello.
05:06 PM BST
Search continues for two missing guests
Four bodies have been found in the wreck of Mike Lynch’s superyacht this afternoon, but two people remain unaccounted for.
Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley and insurance company Hiscox, and his wife Judy, a psychotherapist, have not been seen since the Bayesian sank on Monday.
Likewise, Chris Morvillo, a lawyer from Clifford Chance and part of the legal team representing Mr Lynch, and his wife Neda, who reportedly runs a luxury jewellery line, remain missing.
Sicily civil protection director-general Salvo Cocina told The Telegraph that two more bodies had been found after the bodies of what are believed to be Mike Lynch and his daughter were brought to the surface.
04:38 PM BST
Profile: Mike Lynch
Just weeks ago, Mike Lynch was walking out of a San Francisco court room a free man with tears in his eyes.
The technology tycoon who was known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” had improbably beaten the odds in a bitter US legal dispute with technology giant HP, convincing a jury that he was not guilty of claims of massive fraud.
Cleared after a 13-year legal fight, the entrepreneur vowed to fight to reform Britain’s extradition laws after he was flown to San Francisco to face trial and be kept under house arrest.
Yet tragedy has now struck the 59-year-old so soon after his victory.
Mr Lynch and his daughter, Hannah, are understood to have died after their yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.
04:13 PM BST
Divers making use of ‘natural entrances’ to superyacht
Fire crews from the Vigili del Fuoco said they have been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings.
Remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search, the Italian Coastguard has said.
03:43 PM BST
Captain of sunken superyacht is a very good sailor, says brother
The captain of Mike Lynch’s superyacht, which sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning, is a “very good sailor”, his brother has said.
James Cutfield, 51, was on Bayesian, the British tech tycoon’s yacht, when it went down in a fierce storm off Porticello, near Palermo.
Mr Cutfield, originally from North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand, was described as a “well-respected” lifelong seafarer by his brother Mark.
03:23 PM BST
Watch: Rescue crews return with a body bag
Rescue crews were seen unloading a body bag from one of the ships searching the remains of the sunken superyacht.
The green body bag was taken back to the port of Porticello where dozens of emergency services staff were waiting.
Breaking news here in Sicily🚨🚨
Two bodies have been found in the wreckage of the sunken Bayesian yacht, according to reports.
The remains were found inside one of the cabins and have now been brought onto land.
One of the bodies is male, according to Corriere Della Sera. pic.twitter.com/zz7bCX8IbE— Albert Tait (@AlbertTait1) August 21, 2024
02:43 PM BST
Several boats heading towards wreckage
Several boats have left the port of Porticello to go to the site of the sinking.
They left the port at the same time shortly before 3.30pm on Wednesday.
It comes after reports of two bodies being discovered in the sunken Bayesian.
02:15 PM BST
Watch: Robot assists with search for survivors
01:58 PM BST
Divers break window and enter superyacht hull
Divers have entered the sunken superyacht Bayesian after breaking a window as part of the search for survivors.
The coast guard and firefighting service resumed their search for the six missing passengers at 8am local time on Wednesday.
The team broke through a three centimetre pane of glass on the side of the yacht yesterday and entered the hull, using special jacks produced by a locksmith in Porticello.
Firefighter spokesman Luca Cari said divers had reached the lounge area of the yacht.
Divers have been frustrated by the short 12 minute turnaround working at a depth of 48 metres and have spoken about the challenges of dealing with narrow corridors and floating debris obstructing their way. They are also using remotely operated vehicles to help them in the search.
Italian authorities are now investigating whether hatches left open by crew members caused the superyacht to sink.
01:47 PM BST
Superyacht captain ‘questioned for more than two hours’
The captain of the sunken Bayesian was “questioned for more than two hours” by prosecutors, according to reports.
James Catfield, 51, the captain of the yacht was questioned by prosecutors from the Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor’s Office yesterday after the vessel sank on Monday morning, Corriere della Sera reported.
An investigation into the shipwreck is underway and Mr Catfield was interviewed as authorities try to reconstruct events preceding the incident.
Prosecutors are expected to interview other survivors as part of the investigation.
It comes as Italian authorities are investigating whether hatches left open by crew members caused Mike Lynch’s superyacht to sink.
12:56 PM BST
Pictured: Italian fire service crew return to Porticello Harbour from the dive site
12:48 PM BST
Divers from fire service seen entering water
Divers from the local fire service were seen entering the water with torches attached to their headgear at the site of the shipwreck on Wednesday afternoon.
A police boat and divers were also seen helping with the search while a helicopter hovered overhead.
The boats spent a short time at the scene before heading back to the nearby port.
12:30 PM BST
Survivors turned down offer of psychological support, according to reports
All 15 survivors of the Bayesian wreckage were offered psychological support for their trauma but they each refused help, according to reports.
Salvo Cocina, director-general of the Civil Protection Agency in Sicily, told MailOnline: “We wanted to make sure that everyone was offered every kind of help they might need, but no-one from the passengers or the crew accepted counselling.”
He said the agency, which is a government department that deals with emergency events, still has hope that the six missing people are alive.
Mr Cocina said: “The operation is not complete – we don’t differentiate between rescue and recovery in these circumstances, because the people are still in the boat.
“The divers have not yet reached the cabins, so we have not yet given up hope that there may be air pockets in there keeping them alive.”
12:10 PM BST
Watch: Robot that can operate for seven hours underwater assisting search, says coast guard
The Italian coast guard is using a robot which can function for up to seven hours underwater to assist its search for survivors of the sunken Bayesian.
The remotely operated vehicle can be used at depths of 300m and is equipped with “advanced technology to investigate the seabed and record videos and detailed images”, according to the coast guard.
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11:51 AM BST
Pictured: Search for survivors of sunken superyacht continues
11:38 AM BST
Robot that can operate for seven hours underwater assisting search, says coast guard
The Italian coast guard is using a robot which can function for up to seven hours underwater to assist its search for survivors of the sunken Bayesian.
The remotely operated vehicle can be used at depths of 300m and is equipped with “advanced technology to investigate the seabed and record videos and detailed images”, according to the coast guard.
A spokesman said: “Underwater investigations, conducted by divers from the Naples and Messina Coast Guard Diving Units, have been enhanced with the help of an additional remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV - Remotely Operated Vehicle) with high-performance features.
“The ‘robot’ is capable of operating on the seabed at a depth up to 300 metres and for between six and seven hours.
“The device supplied by the coast guard, is equipped with advanced technology to investigate the seabed and record videos and detailed images. It aims to provide useful and timely elements to reconstruct the dynamics of the accident for the benefit of the Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor’s Office.”
It comes as a new team of Italian firefighter divers has been dispatched from Genoa overnight to support the search for six missing passengers of the yacht which has entered its third day.
Luca Cari, spokesman for the firefighting service, told The Telegraph on Wednesday some of the divers are specialised in deep sea diving and can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes, longer than the 12 minutes which restrict some of the other divers at a depth of 50 metres.
11:23 AM BST
Firefighters release footage of search
Italy’s fire and rescue service has released footage of its late night search.
Vigili del Fuoco posted the clip and wrote that Italian divers “concluded late yesterday evening and at the first light of day the operations at sea resumed”.
They added: “The search for the six missing people continues.”
❌ #Porticello #Palermo, si sono concluse nella tarda sera di ieri e alle prime luci del giorno sono riprese le operazioni in mare: proseguono le ricerche dei 6 dispersi da parte dei #sommozzatori speleo dei #vigilidelfuoco [#21agosto 9:30] pic.twitter.com/mJhEJQQF2d
— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 21, 2024
11:00 AM BST
British inspectors investigating wreckage is international protocol
Gavin Pritchard, a retired former Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) inspector, told The Telegraph the UK investigation team’s first priority will be “perishable evidence”.
Under international protocol, Mr Pritchard said the UK has the “first call” on conducting the safety investigation.
He added: “And their priority is what’s called perishable evidence. So they’ll be wanting to interview survivors, maybe get some electronic data, which would be things like radar tracks of the vessel or voice recordings of radio calls.
“Potentially the divers will be taking video, so [the MAIB] will want to have a look at the wreck as well, either with their own divers or underwater vehicles.”
10:44 AM BST
Pictured: Italian coast guard continues search for survivors
The Italian coast guard continues its search for the survivors of the sunken Bayesian superyacht.
10:33 AM BST
New team of Italian firefighter divers dispatched
A new team of Italian firefighter divers has been dispatched from Genoa overnight to support the search for the six missing from the sunken Bayesian yacht in Porticello.
They will be able to remain underwater for longer periods of up to 20 minutes a time.
Specialist cave divers and other divers from the firefighting service as well as eight divers from the coast guard have been working in rotation for more than 48 hours since early Monday when the boat sank after being hit by a tornado.
The coast guard said the divers are also using remotely operated vehicles to help them in the search on the seafloor.
Luca Cari, spokesman for the firefighting service, told The Telegraph on Wednesday some of the divers are specialised in deep sea diving and can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes, longer than the 12 minutes which restrict some of the other divers at a depth of 50 metres.
He said those arriving from Genoa are trained in deep sea diving and their experience will enhance efforts to find the missing as they can stay underwater for longer periods.
Mr Cari was unable to confirm media reports saying divers had reached some of the cabins and had found them empty.
10:30 AM BST
British inspectors arrive in Sicily to investigate yacht sinking
A team of British inspectors has arrived in Sicily to investigate how Mike Lynch’s luxury yacht sank.
Four inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) are understood to have arrived in Porticello on Tuesday to conduct “preliminary investigations” into the sinking.
The Telegraph understands the team will be at the scene of the shipwreck on Wednesday where the search for six missing people continues. The MAIB would not confirm if the team will speak to any of the 15 survivors who are still on the island.
The team are believed to have flown out because the luxury yacht Bayesian was flying a British flag when it sank. Its arrival comes despite the Italian coast guard saying it did not request assistance in its search.
Spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola said: “Even if they come (probably) the searches are carried out by the Italian authorities. Initiative not requested by us.”
10:16 AM BST
Pictured: A woman watches rescue teams at work in Porticello near Palermo
A woman watches rescue teams at work in Porticello near Palermo.
The search for the six missing passengers resumed at 8am local time on Wednesday with divers inspecting the wreckage for signs of life.
10:01 AM BST
Missing banker’s brother hopes air pockets offer chance of survival
The brother of the Morgan Stanley chairman missing after a superyacht sank off Sicily has said he hopes air pockets could be keeping those onboard alive.
Jonathan Bloomer is a close friend of Mike Lynch and gave evidence at his fraud trial, where he claimed his friend “wasn’t particularly interested” in the finance side of the business.
He was travelling on the Bayesian to celebrate the court victory.
Jeremy Bloomer, the twin brother of Jonathan, told the BBC his fingers were crossed.
He said: “It’s a slow process and it will take time. So there might be air pockets, but we don’t know. It’s still wait and see, so fingers crossed.”
It comes as the search for the six remaining passengers enters its third day with the Italian coastguard confirming Mr Lynch and five others are still trapped inside the vessel.
Italian authorities are now investigating whether hatches left open by crew members caused superyacht to sink.
09:48 AM BST
Pictured: Search for survivors resumes
The search for survivors of the Bayesian yacht after it sank on Monday has resumed.
09:39 AM BST
Last moments of Mike Lynch’s co-defendant captured on Strava
The last moments of Mike Lynch’s co-defendant before he was hit by a car were captured by a trackable running app.
Police have appealed for witnesses after Stephen Chamberlain, 52, was hit by a blue Vauxhall Corsa travelling between Stretham and Wicken, in Cambridgeshire, as he was 10km into a morning trail run on Saturday.
09:23 AM BST
Search for survivors resumes
Divers were able to break through a three centimetre pane of glass on the side of the yacht on Tuesday and enter the hull reportedly using special jacks that were produced by a locksmith in Porticello.
The search and rescue operation of the coast guard and firefighting service for survivors of the sunken Bayesian resumed at 8am local time on Wednesday.
They are also using remotely operated vehicles to help them in the search.
Luca Cari, a firefighter spokesman, said divers had reached the lounge area but on Wednesday he was unable to confirm media reports saying divers had reached two cabins but found them empty.
Divers have been frustrated by the short 12 minute turnaround working at a depth of 48 metres and have complained about the challenges of dealing with narrow corridors and floating debris obstructing their advance inside the ship.
Marco Tilotta, an inspector from Palermo’s firefighting diver service, has said the yacht is tilting at 90 degrees and both the hull and the mast appear to be intact.
09:03 AM BST
Experts question yacht’s radar coverage
As Sicilian prosecutors begin their investigation into what caused the Bayesian sinking, one expert interviewed by daily Corriere della Sera has questioned whether the yacht had effective radar coverage where it was docked in front of Porticello when the tornado struck.
“Radar is the best tool, but we checked and the area of the accident has patchy radar coverage,” said Francesco De Martin, an expert on extreme weather events at the University of Bologna.
“It’s not certain that they had this information. The radar anticipates the arrival of a strong storm by 10 to 15 minutes, perhaps too little to maneuver the boat and get to safety.”
In media interviews Marco Tilotta, one of the first divers to go down to the wreckage, has said both the yacht and the mast were intact. Mr Tilotta, inspector from Palermo’s firefighter diving unit, has likened the search and rescue operation to the Costa Concordia due to the narrow passages on the boat and the amount of furnishings and debris blocking their progress.
08:58 AM BST
Inside the £30m Bayesian superyacht
The superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily had won multiple awards for its stylish interiors and design.
Mike Lynch, 59, and his teenage daughter, Hannah, are among the seven passengers and crew feared dead when his yacht, the Bayesian, sank off Porticello near the Sicilian city of Palermo.
Divers are searching the wreckage of the 184ft British-flagged vessel, which rests on the sea bed 160ft below the surface and 1,600ft from shore.
08:46 AM BST
Survivors searching for their loved ones was ‘apocalyptic’, says emergency responder
Survivors searching for their loved ones after the Bayesian sank was described as “apocalyptic” by an emergency responder to the disaster.
Dr Fabio Genco, from the Palermo Emergency Medical Services, treated the 15 survivors of the yacht sinking when they were brought ashore on Monday.
He said his main concern was treating the baby who had been onboard in case she had ingested saltwater.
Speaking to BBC’s Newsnight he said: “The word that the mother and all the injured kept repeating was ‘darkness’ during the shipwreck.
“They spoke for about five minutes, from three to five minutes, from the moment the boat was lifted, raised by the waves of the sea until it sank.”
08:34 AM BST
CCTV shows storm battering Mike Lynch’s superyacht
CCTV captured the moment that Mike Lynch’s superyacht was battered during a ferocious storm.
The British tech tycoon’s superyacht, Bayesian, sank off Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, on Monday.
Mr Lynch, 59, and his teenage daughter, Hannah, are among the seven passengers and crew feared dead.
08:22 AM BST
British investigators checking if windows and doors were open
British investigators will be looking to find out if the sunken yacht’s windows and watertight doors were open, a former marine accident investigator has said.
Gavin Pritchard, who was a principal investigator with the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) before retiring in 2022, said: “The MAIB will want to look at the vessel using either an ROV [remotely operated vehicle] or divers, or want to have a look and see what the positions of watertight doors, hatches and windows were.
“It’d be important to state that doesn’t attribute blame,” he added, saying the job of the MAIB is to establish a cause for the sinking - rather than legal liability - so safety-critical findings can be spread across the maritime industry.
“One of the first questions that accident investigators ask is, has anything like this ever happened before? And I have to say, having observed this tragic event, I honestly can’t think of anything similar to this,” he added to The Telegraph.
08:19 AM BST
Investigation into ‘open hatches’ on doomed superyacht
Italian authorities are investigating whether hatches left open by crew members caused Mike Lynch’s superyacht to sink.
On Tuesday night, specialist cave divers were continuing to search for six missing passengers, including the tech entrepreneur and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, as the Bayesian lay intact on its starboard side, 165ft underwater on the seabed.
It has been suggested that the missing could still be alive, trapped in pockets of air within the yacht, but hopes were fading fast as the search progressed during its second day.
