One man has died and six people are missing after a luxury was struck by an unexpectedly violent storm The 50-metre boat, named Bayesian, in the early hours of Monday, with four , according to local media. The yacht sank as a fierce storm battered the area overnight, and was flying a British flag, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic. A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in , and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.
” British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is among six tourists missing, The Independent understands. Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was made an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006. Earlier this year he was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to a $11 billion (£8.
64bn) sale to US company Hewlett Packard. A body, believed to be that of the vessel’s chef, has been found and 15 people were rescued. The body was found near the wreck at a depth of 164ft, fire and rescue services said.
Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American, Italian news website reported. One of the survivors, a British tourist named Charlotte, told she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning. “I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning,” she said.
“It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.
” Charlotte and Sofia are being treated in hospital, as is Charlotte’s husband, James. Karsten Borner, captain of a nearby boat, told journalists those missing included the Bayesian’s owner and a child. He said his crew took on board some survivors who were on a life raft, including three who were seriously injured.
The luxury yacht sunk off the coast of Palermo, Sicily. The 56-metre long sailboat sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, the Italian coast guard said in a statement. “The wind was very strong.
Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude,” a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters. Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days - with floods and landslides causing major damage in the north of the country - after weeks of scorching heat. The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor", according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.
The Bayesian superyacht is 56 metres long, according to VesselFinder. The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, and is listed for rent for up to 195,000 euros (£166,000) a week. Bayesian completed a number of sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily.
Formerly known as Salute, or health in Italian, its 75-metre mast is the tallest aluminium mast in the world, Italian shipbuilder Perini said on its website. Perini constructed the boat in 2008 and it was last refitted in 2020, and was managed by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons. Camper and Nicholsons International, confirmed to that the Bayesian sailing yacht “encountered severe weather and subsequently sank.
” A statement continued: “There were a total of 12 guests and 10 crew onboard. The Italian Coast Guard is leading search and rescue operations, and has safely recovered 15 individuals. Efforts to locate the seven missing persons continue.
Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew. More information will be provided as it becomes available.” Her registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd.
There is little publicly-available online information about the company, which appears to be based on the Isle of Man..
