Divers searching the wreckage of a £30m luxury superyacht have found the bodies of two missing passengers, Italian media reported.
Search teams are believed to have made the tragic discovery today while exploring the Bayesian, which sank off the coast of Sicily after being hit by a “black swan” type of wind on Monday morning.
The remains of the couple, whose names and sex have not yet been revealed, were found in the hull of the boat, behind two mattresses, La Repubblica reports.
Six guests, including British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, have been missing ever since, with specialist divers desperately trying to access the ship in the hope that survivors may be alive in air pockets inside the vessel.
Also missing since the disaster are Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, and US citizens Chris Morvillo and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo.
The challenging operation has been hampered by problems such as access to the cabins, which is blocked by debris and thick silt that prevents divers from seeing inside the windows.
The discovery of the bodies would dampen hopes that the remaining five missing passengers will be found alive as the rescue mission enters its third day.
Comes as:
Rescue personnel and divers are operating in the water above the wrecked superyacht today.
A firefighting helicopter is flying over Porticello today as the search operation gets underway.
British tech mogul Mike Lynch is one of six people missing after his superyacht, the Bayesian, sank. Pictured: Lynch with his wife Angela Bacares, who survived the disaster
The yacht was carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers when it was hit by tornado-speed winds during a severe thunderstorm at 5 a.m. on Monday, August 19.
The force of the impact was such that the boat sank beneath the waves, disappearing completely in ‘just 60 seconds’ and leaving those on board racing to save themselves.
Although 15 people made it to safety, including a British mother who heroically kept her young daughter afloat in the dark waters, seven people were missing.
The body of one crew member, Canadian-former chef Recaldo Thomas, who was the cook on board, was discovered hours later when a rescue operation was launched.
But in the days that followed there was no sign of six other missing people and hopes of finding survivors faded.
The search operation has been plagued by problems, with floating debris blocking the ship’s narrow passageways and the depth of the wreck meaning divers can only spend 10 minutes at the bottom before having to turn back.
The ship is 164 feet below the surface, deeper than is normally safe for diving, and a new team of specialist Italian firefighters who have experience at that depth arrived today.
This is a breaking news story. More to come soon.
(tags to translate)dailymail
