Photo: Fabio La Bianca Baia Santa Nicolicchia via Associated Press This photo taken at around 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, shows the British ship Bayesan, left, and the sailing ship Duch Sir Robert Baden Powell at anchor off the Sicilian village of Porticello in southern Italy. The Bayesan sank when a sudden violent storm hit the area.
Nicole Winfield – Associated Press in Rome
Published yesterday at 11:53 a.m. Updated yesterday at 11:23 p.m.
- Europe
Canada's Department of Global Affairs said Monday it is aware of reports that a Canadian man died after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily during a violent storm, while Italian authorities said they are continuing to search for six people who are missing.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Global Affairs Canada said consular officials were in contact with local authorities but could not provide further information due to privacy concerns.
“We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragic event,” the agency said.
British tech mogul Mike Lynch is among those missing after their chartered sailboat sank off the coast of Porticello when an over-water tornado known as a waterspout struck the area overnight, Salvo Cocina of Sicily's civil protection agency reported.
His wife, Angela Bacares, and 14 others have survived.
A body has been recovered and police divers are trying to reach the hull of the ship, which is lying at a depth of 50 metres (164 feet) off Porticello, near Palermo where it was anchored, rescue authorities said. They returned to the scene after 10 p.m. to see if it would be possible to search overnight, when weather conditions are expected to worsen, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for the fire service.
The ship had a crew of 10 and 12 passengers, the Italian coastguard said. A violent storm suddenly hit the area overnight and hit the exact spot where the 56-metre (180-foot) British-flagged Bayesian was moored.
“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Mr. Cocina lamented, noting that another large ship nearby, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, was not as badly damaged and helped rescue the 15 survivors — including Mr. Lynch’s wife.
The Bayesian was notable for its single 240-foot mast, one of the world’s tallest made of aluminum, which was lit up at night just hours before it sank.
Survivors
One of the survivors, identified as Charlotte Golunski, said she momentarily lost her one-year-old daughter Sofia in the water but later managed to keep her above the waves until a lifeboat inflates and they are both saved, the Italian news agency ANSA reported, citing the mother. The father, James Emslie, also survived, Mr Cocina said.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Karsten Borner, the captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, reported noticing the Bayesian nearby during the storm, but after it had calmed, he saw a red flare and realized the ship had everything simply disappeared, according to information from ANSA and the newspaper Giornale di Sicilia. Mr. Borner testified that he and a crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 people, some injured, which they then took on board and alerted the Coast Guard.
Eight of the rescued people were hospitalized while the others were taken to a hotel.
In search of the missing
A body believed to be that of the cook was found near the wreck, but six others are missing and are likely inside the hull, said Cari, the service spokesman. fire safety. The rescue operations, visible from the coast, involved helicopters and rescue boats from the coastguard, firefighters and civil protection.
Fisherman Fabio Cefalù said he saw a flare from the shore at around 4:30 a.m. and immediately went to the scene, but by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk, with only cushions, wood and other objects from the superyacht floating in the water.
“But as for the rest, we haven't found anyone,” he said from the port a few hours later. He added that he immediately alerted the coast guard and stayed on site for three hours, but found no survivors. “I think they're inside, all missing.”
Mr. Cocina mentioned that the crew and passengers came from various countries. In addition to Britain and the United States, the passengers and crew came from Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain, he noted.
The British Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment. The Foreign Affairs and Development Office noted that it was “providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families.”
The yacht, built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi, can accommodate 12 passengers in four double cabins, one triple and the master suite, as well as crew accommodations, according to Charter World and Yacht Charters.
The missing British “Bill Gates”
Sometimes nicknamed the British “Bill Gates”, entrepreneur Mike Lynch is one of those missing in the sinking of a super-sailboat in Sicily.
Originally from the east of England, the 59-year-old entrepreneur is at the head of a fortune of 500 million pounds according to the latest “Rich List” from the Sunday Times. He owes his rise to Autonomy.
He founded this software publisher in 1996 in Cambridge and made it a British technology flagship, to the point that it was bought in 2011 by the American group HP for $11 billion.
But in recent years, the entrepreneur has been most famous for the fraud scandal that followed the deal, casting a shadow over what had appeared to be an inspiring story.
HP had accused Autonomy of rigging its accounts, accusing Mike Lynch of artificially inflating the company’s reported revenue, revenue growth and margins.
Mr. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was also on board, was rescued.
Olivier Devos — Agence France-Presse