Tragic Recovery Efforts for Victims of Yacht Sinking off Sicily

Tragic Recovery Efforts Off the Coast of Sicily

After an extensive three-day search operation, divers have successfully recovered the bodies of two passengers believed to have been trapped inside their cabins when the sailing yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily. The unfortunate incident occurred during the early hours of Monday, as the vessel was caught in what witnesses described as a sudden waterspout—a phenomenon akin to a small tornado forming over water—accompanied by a violent downpour.

Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, confirmed the recovery of the two bodies. On Wednesday afternoon, what appeared to be a green body bag was lifted from a rescue vessel in Porticello, Sicily, and was subsequently placed into a waiting ambulance, while a large contingent of rescuers stood solemnly by, clad in their uniforms. A crowd of reporters and onlookers gathered at the dock, watching in silence as a church bell tolled mournfully in the background.

While 15 individuals managed to escape the sinking yacht, the heartbreaking fate of six others remained uncertain until the latest update. Among the missing were:

• Mike Lynch, a British tech entrepreneur
• His daughter, Hannah Lynch
• Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International
• His wife, Judy Bloomer
• Christopher J. Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance
• His wife, Neda Morvillo

This group was celebrating a significant legal victory for Mr. Lynch, who had been acquitted of fraud charges earlier in June concerning the sale of his company, Autonomy, to the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

The first body recovered belonged to Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s cook, who held dual citizenship in Canada and Antigua. His body was retrieved from the water earlier in the recovery operation, as confirmed by the Sicilian civil protection agency.

Deep-sea divers from Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s firefighting corps, faced formidable challenges during the recovery efforts. Their spokesman, Luca Cari, described the conditions as “very difficult.” The yacht had settled on its side approximately 165 feet below the surface, and divers were limited in the time they could spend underwater. Compounding the hazards they faced, they had to maneuver through broken furniture and tangled electrical wiring that obstructed the confined spaces within the hull.