Hunt for missing six passengers who were on board doomed £30m superyacht: Divers vow 'we're not giving up' amid fears storm will hamper search - as rescuers try to open passages to cabins READ: Moments before disaster: CCTV captures storm ravaging superyacht By Katherine Lawton Published: 17:59 BST, 20 August 2024 | Updated: 18:32 BST, 20 August 2024 e-mail View comments Divers desperately trying to find the six passengers missing after Mike Lynch's superyacht sank have vowed 'we're not giving up' amid fears the storm will hamper their search. 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 billionaire Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter remain missing.
The Italian coastguard has insisted it is continuing its search, even though a positive outcome after nearly two days is 'difficult to imagine'. Frigate Captain Vincenzo Zagarola told Italian radio station RTL: 'Given the time that has passed and the circumstances of the event, it is naturally difficult to imagine that things can go well but we are not giving up, so we are busy [searching] with naval and air resources.' The superyacht was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by an over-sea tornado, known as a waterspout Scuba divers on the scene amid the search for the missing sailboat in Porticello, Italy Mike Lynch (pictured) invited family and friends on his superyacht to celebrate his triumph over fraud charges in the US.
Lynch is missing alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch's attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing Neda and her husband Christopher are both missing in the wake of Monday's superyacht sinking Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing Judy Bloomer, who is missing, is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer Divers from Napoli and Messina are assisting with the huge search operation. A helicopter was seen flying over Porticello this afternoon, while an underwater vehicle has been helping divers search for missing passengers. Read More The 'missing superyacht six': Morgan Stanley chairman and his wife among those feared dead Italian rescue workers are using a remotely operated underwater vehicle in their search.
In a statement, the coastguard said five patrol cars, one helicopter and divers had been working since the early hours of Tuesday morning. Divers are continuing to assess the safety of the superyacht before they can enter and look for possible survivors. Among the 15 who survived include a one-year-old British baby called Sofia, who was kept afloat by her mother, 36-year-old Charlotte Golunski.
Mrs Golunski, an Oxford graduate and senior associate at Invoke, also survived after fighting to prevent her child from drowning. The mother told Italian newspaper Republicca: 'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning. CCTV captured the last moments of the Bayesian superyacht before it sank beneath the waves during a ferocious storm early on Monday morning Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is still missing.
His wife Angela Bacares (right) was among the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht A life raft is seen docked at the harbour near the port where the emergency and rescue workers are launching their search operation '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.
' Mrs Golunski's British husband James Emsilie, 36, also survived the tragedy. Another survivor is Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who was part of the successful legal team invited to go sailing with Lynch, according to her father Lin. Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Calfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar and the French Captain Matthew Griffith.
They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian, who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit. Italy Share or comment on this article: Hunt for missing six passengers who were on board doomed £30m superyacht: Divers vow 'we're not giving up' amid fears storm will hamper search - as rescuers try to open passages to cabins e-mail Add comment.
