PORTICELLO, Sicily (AP) — British Mike Lynch, Chief Technology Officer Five more people are missing after their luxury yacht capsized during a fierce storm off Sicily early Monday, Italy’s civil defense and authorities said. Lynch’s wife and 14 others survived.
Lynch, who He was released in June A major U.S. fraud investigation said Salvo Cocina of Sicily was among six unaccounted for after their charter yacht sank in Porticello near Palermo, four hours after a tornado over the water called Waterspout hit the area overnight. Civil Defense Agency.
One body was recovered, and police divers spent the day trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was anchored 50 meters (163 feet) off Porticello, rescue officials said. After 10 p.m., when weather conditions were expected to worsen, they returned to the site to see if it was possible to search through the night, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Service.
The Italian coastguard said there were 10 crew members and 12 passengers on board. A severe storm struck overnight, and a waterspout struck precisely where the 56-metre (184-ft) British-flagged Bayesian was moored.
“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Cocina said, noting that another large ship nearby, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, was not badly damaged and helped rescue 15 survivors — including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bagares.
The Bayesian is notable for its single 75-metre (246-ft) mast – the tallest in the world made of aluminum and illuminated at night for hours before it sinks. Online charter sites list rentals for up to 195,000 euros (about $215,000) per week.
One of the survivors, Charlotte Golunski, said she briefly lost her 1-year-old daughter, Sophia, in the water, but held her above the waves until a lifeboat was raised and they were both pulled to safety. Italian news agency ANSA reported. Gosina said the father, identified by ANSA as James Emsley, also survived.
Sir Robert Baden-Powell’s captain Carsten Borner said he spotted the Bayesian nearby during the storm, but after it calmed down he saw a red volcano and realized the ship had simply disappeared, ANSA and Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported. Borner said he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some of whom were injured, then boarded the vessel and alerted the Coast Guard.
Eight of the rescued people were admitted to hospital while others were taken to a hotel. A body believed to be that of the cook was found near the wreckage, but six others were unaccounted for and believed to be inside the hull, fire-rescue spokesman Carey said. Rescue operations visible from the shore involved helicopters and rescue boats from the Coast Guard, Fire Rescue and Civil Defense Services.
Fisherman Fabio Cefalu said he saw a fire from the shore around 4:30 a.m. and rushed to the scene, but by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk and only mattresses, wood and other items from the superyacht were afloat. in water.
“But for the others, we haven’t found anyone,” he said hours later from the port. He said he immediately alerted the Coast Guard and remained at the scene for three hours, but found no survivors. “I think they’re in, all the missing ones.”
He said he woke up early to check the weather to see if he could go fishing and assumed a sudden waterfall had hit the boat.
“It may have broken the mast, or the anchor on the prow pulled it, I don’t know,” he said.
Kozina said the crew and passengers were from different countries: apart from Britain and the US, the passengers and crew were from Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain, he said.
The UK Maritime Accident Investigation Branch is sending a team of four investigators to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment. The Overseas Commonwealth and Development Office said it “provides consular support to many British nationals and their families”.
Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Casper Soetekouw said one person, the only Dutch citizen on board, had been rescued and was in non-life-threatening condition.
Lynch, once hailed as Britain’s king of technology, was acquitted in June of fraud and conspiracy charges related to Hewlett Packard’s $11 billion takeover of his company, Autonomy Corp.
The not-guilty verdicts followed an 11-week criminal trial in San Francisco that probed HP’s history 2011 acquisition Autonomy is a business software company founded by Lynch.
The Fraud allegations It represented a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of an entrepreneur once described as Britain’s Bill Gates — who seemed to live on when he made $800 million from auto sales.
Lynch vehemently denied wrongdoing and portrayed HP as a technological train wreck.
“I look forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my industry,” Lynch said in a statement released after the verdict.
Built in 2008 by Italian firm Perini Navi, the yacht can accommodate up to 12 passengers in four double cabins, one triple and a master suite and crew accommodations, according to CharterWorld and Yacht Charters.
Named Salute when it flew the Dutch flag, the ship had a sleek interior of light wood with Japanese accents designed by French designer Remy Tessier, according to descriptions and photographs in the charter plates.
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Winfield reported from Rome. AP writers Danica Kirka and Sylvia Hui contributed from London.
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This story has been edited to reflect that the fisherman’s name is Fabio Cefalù, not Francesco Cefalù.
