This live blog is now closed but coverage of the yacht sinking continues on Thursday’s blog:
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A summary of today's developments
Divers scouring the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily have found the bodies of five missing people. The head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, told the PA news agency that searches have finished for the day and will resume on Thursday. He confirmed that five bodies have been found, but only four recovered. One person remains missing, Cocina said.
The individuals missing are tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance who represented Lynch, and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
Earlier, two bodies found aboard the sunken yacht were brought to land on Wednesday, while two more bodies were located in the capsized vessel, sources told Reuters. Two black body bags were brought into the harbour of Porticello near Palermo aboard a fire brigade boat and lifted up on to the quayside. Divers and specialist rescuers have been searching inside the hull of the sunken yacht since Monday. The victims’ bodies are believed to be trapped in cabins with divers only able to stay in the vessel for 8-10 minutes before having to re-surface.
The former cabinet minister Lord Deben has said his missing friend Mike Lynch was at the “beginning of a new life” when his yacht capsized.
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Fishers in the Sicilian village of Porticello who witnessed the Bayesian superyacht sink rapidly in a violent storm on Monday say the vessel was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For Italian prosecutors investigating the incident, their focus will be on whether the captain and crew took all the necessary safety measures to prevent the tragedy.
Prosecutors from the nearby town of Termini Imerese questioned the yacht’s captain, 51-year-old James Cutfield, from New Zealand, for more than two hours on Tuesday.
Fabio Cefalù, a 36-year-old fisher from Porticello who was one of the first to attempt to provide assistance to the Bayesian, said he arrived at the port at 3.30am for a fishing trip and saw the first flashes of lightning.
“At 3.55, a mini tornado arrived,” Cefalù said. “The docks of the port diverted it and it hit the sailboat head-on.”
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Search operation has been concluded for the day
The head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina told the PA news agency that searches have finished for the day and will resume on Thursday.
He confirmed that five bodies have been found, but only four recovered.
One person remains missing, Cocina added.
According to Italian law, a body must be formally identified by a family member, or a person close to the victims, before the deaths can be officially certified.
It has been suggested that the authorities could hold a news conference when all the bodies have been retrieved and brought ashore.
Bodies of five missing persons reportedly found
Divers scouring the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday have reportedly found the bodies of five missing persons, write Jamie Grierson and Lorenzo Tondo.
The UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah Lynch, the Morgan Stanley International chair, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy, and the Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, have been missing since the vessel went down on Monday morning.
The 56-metre yacht, named Bayesian and sailing under a British flag, was carrying 22 people and had anchored just off shore near the port of Porticello when it was hit by what was believed to be a tornado or waterspout.
The body of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was located shortly after the vessel sank.
Citing a source, Reuters said four more bodies were found on Wednesday but did not immediately give the names or gender of the victims. Sources among firefighters’ divers later told the Guardian the last two bodies had been found.
Some UK media are reporting that two of the bodies are those of Lynch and his daughter. The Guardian has not been able to independently verify this and there has been no formal confirmation from the authorities.
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The English banker Jonathan Bloomer and the American lawyer Chris Morvillo have been confirmed as among the bodies recovered.
Their bodies will be transferred to the morgue in Palermo where an autopsy will be carried out, under the supervision of the public prosecutor of Termini Imeresi who has launched an investigation into the incident.
Fifth body found by rescuers, official says
The head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina confirmed that a fifth body has been found.
He told the PA news agency that four bodies have been recovered and that efforts to bring a fifth to shore are “ongoing”.
One person remains missing.
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An investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian might result in changes to how masts are constructed, according to a professor of transport law.
According to Italian shipbuilder Perini, the Bayesian’s 75m (246ft) aluminium mast was the tallest of its kind in the world.
Nicola Romana, a professor of transport and tourism law at the University of Palermo, believes that investigations into how the ship sunk could force a change to ship building.
He told la Repubblica: “In the case of Bayesian, a safety investigation, I imagine, could concern the height of the mast, whether it could have caused an imbalance with the hull, thus leading in the future to not building such tall masts or to using other types of alloys, different from aluminium.”
Two bodies found aboard the sunken yacht were brought to land on Wednesday, while two more bodies have been located in the capsized vessel, sources told Reuters.
Sources among firefighter divers said the last two bodies have been found and are about to be recovered by a patrol boat from the Coast Guard.
On Monday the body of one man, the yacht’s chef, was recovered from the water. There were 15 survivors.
Of the remaining six people, the four Britons and two Americans have all been named. Here is what we know about them.
Sources among firefighter divers said another body has been found and is about to be recovered by a patrol boat from the Coast Guard.
The identity of the body, the fifth person found, is not yet known.
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The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said it is investigating the sinking of the superyacht.
A team of four MAIB inspectors have been in Porticello today to carry out a “preliminary assessment”.
“The MAIB is investigating the foundering of the UK registered large yacht Bayesian off the northern coast of Sicily on 19 August 2024,” a statement read.
“It would not be appropriate for the MAIB to comment further while the investigation is ongoing. “
Authorities confirm they have recovered two more bodies.
In total, 4 passengers missing have been recovered this afternoon by Italian firefighter divers.
The identities of the bodies are not yet known. According to some sources, one of the four would be that of a young woman, a detail that would suggest she could be Mike Lynch’s daughter.
However, at the moment, there is no confirmation from the authorities who are waiting to conduct legal examinations and to submit the bodies to the relatives for identification.
'Four bodies found inside sunken yacht'
Two bodies found aboard the sunken yacht were brought to land on Wednesday, while two more bodies have been located in the capsized vessel, sources told Reuters.
Six people, including the business Mike Lynch and his daughter, are still unaccounted for after the British-flagged Bayesian sank early on Monday off Sicily after it was hit by a ferocious storm.
The identities of the victims found on Wednesday are unknown at this stage. One of the bodies belonged to a heavily built man, a source close to rescue operations said, while the second was that of a woman, Italian news agency Adnkronos said.
Two black body bags were brought into the harbour of Porticello near Palermo aboard a fire brigades boat and lifted up on to the quayside.
Divers and specialist rescuers have been searching inside the hull of the sunken yacht since Monday.
The victims are believed to be trapped in cabins with divers only able to stay in the vessel for 8-10 minutes before having to re-surface.
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Summary of the day thus far
Search efforts continued for a third day to locate six missing passengers of a yacht which sank in a violent storm off the coast of Sicily early Monday.
The head of Sicily’s civil protection agency confirmed that two bodies had been found in the yacht.
Reuters reported that two more bodies had been located.
The individuals missing are tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance who represented Lynch, and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
The former cabinet minister Lord Deben has said his missing friend Mike Lynch was at the “beginning of a new life” when his yacht capsized.
Two more bodies found: report
Two more bodies have been found by Italian rescue divers inside the sunk yacht, Reuters reported citing a source.
Official confirms that two bodies were found
The head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, has confirmed that two bodies have been found in the yacht, the PA news agency reported.
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A green body bag was taken back to the port of Porticello where dozens of emergency services staff were waiting, the PA news agency reported.
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Sources among firefighters’ divers have said they located two bodies in the hull of the Bayesian.
The bodies, one of which they identified as a man, were found behind the mattresses inside a cabin near the breach opened by the divers.
Officials did not confirm whether bodies were recovered.
Several boats have left the port of Porticello to go to the site of the sinking, the PA news agency reported.
Rescuers this morning said they have breached the sailboat’s hull. A cabin has been located, but access was blocked by furniture and other materials.
A source close to the matter told Reuters that divers scouring the wreck of the luxury yacht have found the bodies of two of the six passengers who were missing.
However, the national director of Italy’s firefighting department, Giuseppe Petrone, did not confirm this report.
Reuters, citing a source, reports that one of the two bodies found by divers is a “heavily built man.”
Two bodies found inside yacht: report
Italian rescue divers have found two bodies inside the sunken luxury yacht, Reuters reported citing a source.
Six people have been missing since early Monday when the super yacht they were onboard, the Bayesian, sank in a violent storm off the coast of Sicily.
The individuals missing are tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance who represented Lynch and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
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Cabin located but access blocked by furniture as search efforts continue
Lorenzo Tondo reporting from Porticello
A search for six missing individuals continues in Porticello, as Carabinieri patrol boats are supporting coast guard crews and firefighters’ divers.
Rescuers say they have breached the sailboat’s hull. A cabin has been located, but access is currently blocked by furniture and other materials.
Meanwhile, investigators are questioning witnesses and survivors.
The sailboat’s captain, James Cutfield, 51, was interrogated for over two hours.
The Port Authority has opened an investigation – in addition to an ongoing investigation by the public prosecutor of Termini Imerese – to verify whether all adequate safety measures had been taken by the crew.
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Efforts to locate the missing people have been hampered by “very confined” spaces inside the wreck, fire department spokesman Luca Cari said, Reuters reported.
The Italian coast guard also said it was using a remotely operated vehicle to inspect the seabed and take underwater pictures.
My colleague Matthew Weaver has a longer report on John Gummer’s interview this morning about his friend Mike Lynch.
The former Conservative cabinet minister, now Lord Deben, spoke of Lynch’s hopes following his acquittal in the US on fraud charges. He said of Lynch:
He came back to be ready to start again. He made such a contribution to Britain. His companies have put British IT in the forefront, and he was going to do it again, and we pray that he can do it again.”
You can read the full story here
Our video team have produced a report on the emergence of CCTV showing the yacht apparently disappearing into the darkness during a sudden and severe storm.
A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have arrived in Porticello, the PA news agency reported, adding that they are expected to carry out a “preliminary assessment” of the site on Wednesday.
The Italian Coastguard said the MAIB are not involved in the search for the missing people and that it did not request assistance.
Inspections of the sunken yacht’s hull have taken place this morning, the PA news agency reports.
Fire crews said they are accessing the yacht through natural entrances. The Italian Coastguard has said that remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.
The Conservative politician John Selwyn Gummer has been interviewed by former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson on her morning show on Times Radio about his friend Mike Lynch.
Gummer, who now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Deben, said it had been “the beginning of a new life” for Lynch following his acquittal on fraud charges in the US in June.
Gummer said it was “disgraceful” that the software mogul had been extradited on what the peer described as “trumped-up charges” and said following his acquittal he had been hoping to campaign against “one-sided rules” that had meant he faced trial in the US.
The politician, who lived near Lynch, said he “carried his immense knowledge and learning lightly” and “it was a joy to have him in his community”.
Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, is also missing and Gummer paid tribute to Lynch’s family saying they had supported him through the court case.
The others missing are Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive director at Lynch’s company Autonomy, his wife, Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo, one of Lynch’s lawyer’s and his wife, Neda Morvillo. Gummer said it was typical of Lynch to show his gratitude to those who had helped him by inviting them on holiday.
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Search for six missing people resumes in Italy
Divers resumed a search this morning for survivors after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday.
Six people including the software tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah, remain unaccounted for, as rescue teams have struggled to reach inside the yacht.
A Reuters photographer saw coast guard rescue vessels leave Porticello early today to head for the site of the incident.
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