Did open portholes doom the Bayesian? Italian authorities open investigation into whether hatches left open by crew members on tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht caused it to sink so dramatically as desperate search for missing six enters third day By Miriam Kuepper and Katherine Lawton Published: 00:27, 21 August 2024 | Updated: 00:50, 21 August 2024 e-mail 5 View comments Italian authorities have opened an investigation into whether hatches left open by crew members on tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht caused it to sink so dramatically. Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, Italy , when a 'whirlwind' hit the area just before 5am on Monday morning, wrecking the boat and causing it to rapidly sink. While 15 of the 22 people on board were rescued by nearby ships, the yacht's chef tragically died while six people including tech British billionaire Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah remain missing, thought to be trapped in their cabins.
Among the survivors is Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, 57, who is said to be in 'a state of shock and sadness', the Daily Mirror reports, as the search for her husband, daughter and four others has entered its third day. One expert at the scene said an early focus of the official investigation into the tragedy, launched by prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese, would be whether the yacht's crew had closed access hatches into the vessel before the storm struck. Investigators would look at whet.