ThebodiesofallsixmissingpersonshavereportedlybeenfoundbydiversscouringthewreckoftheluxuryyachtthatsankoffthecoastofSicilyonMonday. AmongthemissingwereUKtechentrepreneurMikeLynch,histeenagedaughterHannahLynch,MorganStanleyInternationalchairJonathanBloomer,hiswifeJudy,andCliffordChancelawyerChrisMorvilloandhiswifeNeda,asreportedbyBBC. TheseindividualshadbeenunaccountedforsincethevesselsankonMondaymorning.
The56-metreyacht,namedBayesianandsailingunderaBritishflag,wascarrying22peoplewhenitanchoredjustoffshoreneartheportofPorticello. Thevesselwasthenstruckbywhatisbelievedtohavebeenatornadoorwaterspout,causingittosink.Thebodyoftheyacht'schef,RecaldoThomas,waslocatedshortlyafterthesinking.
AccordingtosourcescitedbyReuters,fourmorebodieswerediscoveredonWednesday,althoughthenamesorgendersofthevictimswerenotimmediatelydisclosed. Later,sourcesamongfirefightersdiversinformedTheGuardianthatthelasttwobodieshadalsobeenfound.SomeUKmediaoutletshavereportedthattwoofthebodiesarethoseofMikeLynchandhisdaughter,butTheGuardianhasnotindependentlyverifiedthisinformation,andnoformalconfirmationhasbeenprovidedbytheauthorities.
Bodybagswereobservedbeingbroughtintotheharbouraboardafirebrigadeboatandthenliftedontothequayside.Thesearchhasprovenchallengingforrescueteams,whofaceddifficultiesaccessingtheyacht'shull.Oncethehullwasbreached,theinvestigationwasfurtherobstructedbyfurnitureanddebrisinsidethevessel.
Investigatorsarecurrentlyquestioningwitnessesandsurvivorstogathermoreinformation.Theyacht'scaptain,JamesCutfield,51,wasreportedlyinterrogatedformorethantwohours.SeparateinvestigationshavebeenlaunchedbytheportauthorityandthepublicprosecutorinthetownofTerminiImerese,Sicily,todeterminewhetherallnecessarysafetymeasuresweretakenbythecrew.
ItisunderstoodthatfourinspectorsfromtheUK'sMarineAccidentInvestigationBranchhavearrivedinSicilytoconductapreliminaryassessmentoftheincident.LordDeben,aformercabinetminister,commentedonthetragiclossofhisfriendMikeLynch,statingthatLynchhadbeenatthe"beginningofanewlife" whentheboatcapsizedduringtheviolentstorm,aspermediareports. Deben,theformerConservativeMPJohnGummer,notedthatLynchhadbeenpreparingforafreshstartafterbeingclearedinJuneoffraudchargesintheUSrelatedtothesaleofhiscompany,Autonomy,toHewlett-Packardin2011.
Debenexpressedhissorrow,sayingthatLynchhadmadesignificantcontributionstoBritishITandwaspoisedtocontinuedoingso,adding,"Wepraythathecandoitagain.".
