Search Underway for Missing Individuals in Luxury Yacht Disaster off Sicily

Divers are working diligently to search for six missing individuals, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and a Morgan Stanley executive, who were on board a luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily during a severe storm. The 56-meter-long superyacht, named Bayesian, was carrying a total of 22 people when it capsized after being hit by the intense storm while anchored near Porticello. Fifteen individuals were able to escape, one person was found dead, and six passengers, including Lynch and his daughter, remain unaccounted for.

The depth of the wreck, which is 49 meters deep, is proving to be a challenge for the divers conducting the search and rescue operation. Salvatore Cocina, head of civil protection in Sicily, expressed concerns that the missing bodies may be trapped inside the vessel. Fire department diver Marco Tilotta explained that the depth restricts the amount of time they can spend underwater, making the search a meticulous process as they comb through the wreckage centimeter by centimeter.

Mike Lynch, a prominent figure in the UK’s tech industry, was on board the yacht along with other high-profile individuals. Lynch, who founded Autonomy and later sold it to HP for $11 billion, was acquitted of fraud charges in a high-profile trial. The British government’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch has dispatched inspectors to Sicily to conduct a preliminary assessment of the incident. The official investigation is expected to focus on whether proper safety measures were taken by the yacht’s crew in anticipation of the storm.

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