Sicily yacht sinking: Timeline of events that led to the disaster; search for missing continues
Sicily yacht sinking
In a terrible incident, a British yacht sank off the coast of Sicily, an island south of the Italian Peninsula, after a severe storm struck the region on Monday. Six people still remain missing including UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, who were onboard the vessel.
What happened to the yacht?
Bayesian, the British-flagged luxury yacht was carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers on the night of Sunday, August 18. The boat, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Nav, was lit up as the people onboard celebrated their holiday.
The impressive vessel that had a 246-foot-tall mast was photographed 300 metres from the pier of Porticello in Sicily around 10 pm. Around 4 am, a tornado storm struck the region, hitting Bayesian, which was anchored at the time.
Also read |Sicily yacht tragedy: Tornado sinks luxury vessel; one dead, UK’s ‘Bill Gates’ among 6 missing
A nearby Dutch-flagged ship, Sir Robert Baden Powell, is reported to have seen Bayesian lit up during the storm. However, according to Captain Karsten Borner, when the turbulent weather passed, the yacht had already sunk and a red flare could be seen in the dark sky.
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It is believed that the yachtwas surprised by how strong the tornado was, damaging the mast in the way. It sank very quickly, and may not have given enough time tothe six people on board to escape.
Rescue and search operations
Upon reaching the scene, Borner and his crew found a lifeboat carrying 15 people and alerted the Coast Guard. Some of the people rescued were in an injured state.
Italian search and rescue teams started looking for the missing people around dawn. They discovered the sunken ship around 50 metres below the water. On Monday morning, around 11 am, the body of a male passenger was found dead.
A woman onboard the vessel described how she and her one-year-old daughter survived the sinking of the yacht and were brought to safety by the Dutch ship.
The search operation continues on the third day, Wednesday, August 21, as six people remain missing since the yacht sank in the depths. However, hopes of finding them alive remain low.
(With inputs from agencies)
