Rescue teams searching for six passengers who went missing after a superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily were on Tuesday attempting to smash through a breach in the boat’s hull to reach the cabin. British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among those missing after the luxury superyacht, named Bayesian, sunk in a violent storm near Porticello at 5am on Monday. Fifteen of the 22 passengers and crew onboard – including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares – were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.
The Italian coastguard is continuing its search for the remaining passengers but has admitted that a positive outcome is unlikely. Italy ’s fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said it is developing a plan to enter the wreckage of Bayesian, which is resting on the seabed off the coast at a depth of 50 metres. It described the operation as “complex”, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.
Rescue crews said they assume the six missing tourists will be found in the cabins, which they were unable to enter on Monday due to debris. Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, said the working theory of officials was that the six missing passengers were inside the boat. “Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours,” he said.
“Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly. “We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of.