Death toll rises in Sicily 'Bayesian' superyacht tragedy, five more bodies found; one missing

The search for six missing individuals following the tragic sinking of the super yacht Bayesian off Sicily on Wednesday (August 21) led to the discovery of five bodies, according to sources close to the search efforts.

With this, the death toll from the disaster has risen. Previously, shortly after the vessel sank on Monday (August 19), the body of a man, believed to be the yacht's chef, was recovered.

Four bodies were brought to shorefrom the wreckage of the luxury yacht, while a fifth body has also been found inside the boat, according to a BBC report.

Officials refused to identify the bodies, sinceItalian law stipulates that the bodies must be formally identified by a family member, or someone close to the victim, before the deaths can be officially certified.

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Information about those confirmed dead

The yacht 'Bayesian', a 56-metre British-flagged vessel, sank within minutes after being struck by a waterspout during a pre-dawn storm while anchored 700 metres off Porticello.

Rescue teamsmanaged to save 15 people, including UK tech mogul Mike Lynch's wife and a woman with her one-year-old baby, soon after the tragic sinking.

However, the tech millionaire, his teenage daughter Hannah, Lynch's lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda, and Jonathan Bloomer, the chair of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife Judy were missing.

As per an AFP report, there is no immediate information about whom the newly recovered bodies belonged to.

Recovery operation for yacht underway

The yacht, as per reports, is largely intact and is resting on the seabed 50 metres below. A complex recovery operation is underway to salvage it.

Passengers on the Bayesian were celebrating Lynch's recent acquittal in a significant US fraud case. The tech mogul, sometimes referred to as "Britain’s Bill Gates," was cleared of all charges related to an $11 billion fraud accusation tied to the sale of his software firm, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard, in June.

The luxury vessel was moored off Porticello, east of Palermo, when violent winds and rains suddenly swept up the coast.

Speaking to the ANSA news agency, survivor Charlotte Golunski recalled the incident. "It was terrible. The boat was hit by really strong winds, and shortly after it went down," she said.

The suddenness of the yacht's sinking and the fact that other nearby vessels were unaffected have raised questions. Italian authorities, as per local media reports, have launched an investigation, interviewing survivors, including the yacht's captain, James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander.

Experts describe the incident as highly unusual.

Speaking to AFP, Matthew Schanck, from the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said it was "pretty unprecedented", and a "black swan event".