A heartbroken diver who recovered Hannah, the daughter of tech billionaire Mike Lynch, from the wrecked yacht, Bayesian has described the search as “excruciating” through the wreckage as his team raced against time to reach survivors.
Giuseppe Petrone, 49, head of the Italian firefighters’ diving team, led the operation to find survivors and bodies following the tragedy earlier this month in which seven people died when the 180ft superyacht sank.
Mr Petrone, who has been involved in numerous underwater rescue operations, led a team of experienced colleagues for almost a week as they searched for huts in the Bayesian about 165 feet below the sea surface, off Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily.
He said of Hannah, who was due to start studying at Oxford University next month: “That young girl should have been writing important pages of her life, but sadly the story ended very differently.”
Hannah was the last of the seven victims found on the Bayesian, in a cabin at the far end of the yacht and trapped in the wreckage.
Hannah was a pupil at Latymer High School in West London and had won a place at Oxford to study English literature.
Giuseppe Petrone (R), from the Italian firefighters’ diving team, led the search for survivors.
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were killed in the Bayesian tragedy when their superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.
The ‘Bayesiano’ sailboat, in Palermo, Sicily, undated
The underwater conditions were described as “complex” and “prohibitive” for divers who, called in from all over Italy to help, searched for the bodies of those on board.
Divers were only allowed to go down for 10 minutes at a time due to the 50m depth, which is far deeper than most recreational divers are qualified to reach.
Petrone said the search was a “difficult operation” and added: “It was carried out in complete safety with 27 divers, including 11 specialists in underwater cave rescues and eight trained to use an oxygen mixture during the decompression phase.
‘They were able to dive for 50 minutes in total, but were only able to spend 13 to 14 minutes on the yacht.
‘The yacht was overturned on its right side. All the cabins were covered in floating debris, mattresses, sheets, cupboards.
“It was because of this large amount of floating debris that the operation progressed with difficulty.”
He added that after ensuring there were no passengers or crew in the water, they focused on safely searching the interior of the yacht.
Asked if there were any dangerous moments, he replied: “None, thanks to the security team involved.”
‘We had two divers focused on searching for the yacht, four in the water as a safety team and two on the surface.
‘So for every two divers who entered, there was a team of six people watching over their safety, ready to intervene at any sign of danger.’
He added: “The cabins were dark and there was barely any visibility, so the environment was hostile and the situation was becoming more difficult.”
‘She (Hannah) was the furthest away, we are talking about a situation where to advance one metre it took four or five dives.’
Asked which of the seven victims he found most difficult to recover, Mr. Petrone replied: “Hannah.”
He added: “It was a huge relief to find her after almost five days.”
“The tension had been unbearable until then.”
The British-flagged Bayesian sank in the early hours of 19 August during a storm off the coast of Sicily.
Although the yacht is believed to have been hit by a sudden weather event, investigators are currently exploring the possibility that the crew may be responsible for multiple homicide and causing a shipwreck through negligence.
Maritime law gives the captain full responsibility for the ship and crew, as well as for the safety of all on board.
Seven people, including six passengers and one crew member, drowned in the tragedy.
Among the passengers were British tech mogul Mick Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.
Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley and former president of Mike Lynch’s software company Autonomy, was also named among those who perished in the sinking.
His wife, psychotherapist Judy Bloomer, also died.
Christopher Morvillo, a partner at the law firm of Clifford Chance and attorney for Mike Lynch, and his wife, Neda Morvillo, sadly passed away during the accident.
Recaldo Thomas, a chef working aboard the yacht Bayesian, was tragically named among the victims.
Mr Petrone said the search was hampered by debris floating around the cabins.
The ‘Bayesiano’ sailboat, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, undated
Dr. Lynch with his wife Angela, who managed to escape the disaster.
No charges have been officially brought against any of the crew and under Italian law, being under investigation does not necessarily mean that charges will be brought, as it will be up to an investigating judge to decide, once the case has been submitted, whether there is sufficient evidence to go to trial.
Earlier this week, a former captain of the doomed Bayesian shared his theory on the possible causes of the ship’s sinking on August 19.
Stephen Edwards, who captained the ship from 2015 to 2020, said he was “100 per cent” sure the hull would not have been left open at night, adding that there are no opening windows or portholes on board.
While he avoided “contributing to wild speculation” surrounding the incident, he said the vessel “was in good condition and seaworthy by design, and as far as I know, well maintained as such.”
Tilting the ship more than 45 degrees could have led to flooding “and subsequent losses if it could not have been controlled,” he suggested, and weather conditions could have created “extreme circumstances” with little time to react.