A rescue boat of the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian Corps. of Firefighters operates off Porticello near Palermo, on August 20, 2024 a day after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank.
Alberto Pizzoli | Afp | Getty Images
Two bodies have been recovered from the wreck of the superyacht that sank in a storm early Monday morning, Salvatore Cocina, the head of the civil protection agency in Sicily confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday.
The rescue teams did not immediately identify the names or sex of the victims. They are the second and third victims of the incident, after one person was confirmed dead earlier this week.
Specialist divers were searching for six passengers of the yacht that were still missing earlier on Wednesday, before the two bodies were found later in the day. The divers had warned that the operation was proving challenging.
Italian emergency services had gained access to some rooms on the ship, but were struggling to access sleeping cabins where those onboard may have been at the time of the disaster. This had prevented the divers from seeing if anyone is inside.
The wreck is lying at a tilt at a depth of approximately 50 meters (184 feet), while narrow access points, thick glass windows and a range of objects and electrical cables are obstructing access.
Divers involved in the operation told NBC News on Wednesday that the depth of the wreck meant they only had 10 minutes to search the vessel before having to return to the surface.
Those reported missing are British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah; Morgan Stanley International Chair Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, charity trustee Judy Bloomer; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo.
Mike Lynch, former chief executive officer at Hewlett-Packard Co.’s Autonomy unit, speaking at a conference on Thursday, April 25, 2013.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Italian coastguard on Tuesday confirmed to Sky News that the man who died during the incident was Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef.
According to reports from eyewitnesses and survivors, the ship was violently rocked by a storm at around 4 a.m. local time on Monday while it was anchored near the Sicilian port of Porticello. It sank rapidly after capsizing.
Lynch was acquitted less than three months ago by a U.S. court on 15 charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, relating to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard in 2011. Lynch had long denied artificially inflating the value of the company ahead of its $11.7 billion sale and was in 2023 extradited from the U.K. to stand trial in the U.S.
Bayesian, a 56-meter-long sailboat, which later sank off the Sicilian capital Palermo, is seen in Santa Flavia, Italy August 18, 2024 in this picture obtained from social media.
Baia Santa Nicolicchia | Fabio La Bianca | Via Reuters
The trip on the U.K.-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian is thought to have marked a celebration of Lynch’s acquittal. Morvillo represented Lynch in the case, while Bloomer — who serves in a non-executive role as chair of Morgan Stanley’s European branch — testified for the defense.
Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares was on the ship and was rescued along with 14 others, including a one-year-old baby and her parents.
In a separate incident on Saturday, Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice president of finance at Autonomy and a co-defendant in Lynch’s trial, died after being hit by a car while on a run in Cambridgeshire, England, Chamberlain’s lawyer told the Reuters news agency.
— CNBC’s Sophie Kiderlin contributed to this report.
