Lying behind mattresses

Sunken celebrity sailing yacht: two bodies recovered

The threads of the salvage operation are coming together in the port of Porticello near Palermo.

(Bild: AFP/Alberto Pizzoli)

Italian fire department divers have recovered five bodies from the luxury yacht Bayesian, which sank off Palermo on Monday. According to media reports, they were behind two mattresses. Only one more person is still being sought.

The bodies were brought to Palermo to be identified. Divers who had already recovered bodies from the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which sank in 2012, took part in the operation. The Bayesian is lying on its side at a depth of 50 meters, which is making the work more difficult, the Palermo fire department reported. So far, the diving units had only been able to search a few rooms below the bridge. Numerous obstacles blocked their way and the narrow spaces hindered them.

Diving robots also deployed
The divers received technical support in their search for the missing persons on Wednesday. A remote-controlled diving robot was used, which can examine objects and structures more closely. With a possible diving depth of up to 200 meters, the device can easily reach the wreck. Thanks to video cameras, the robot provided images that could be useful in the search operation.

Divers bring a body bag into the harbor.

(Bild: AFP/Alberto Pizzoli)

The victims include British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, the president of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer, as well as the CEO of Lynch's company, Chris Morvillo, and his wife Nada. In June, Lynch was acquitted in the USA of fraud charges relating to the sale of his software company Autonomy. Among other things, he had been accused of falsely declaring the turnover of his company. The "Sunday Times" estimated the assets of the former advisor to the British government at around 587 million euros.

15 people rescued
In the accident off the coast of Sicily, 15 people were rescued early on Monday morning, eight of whom were taken to hospital. Among them was a British family with a young daughter who managed to save themselves. The 50-metre-long ship with 22 people on board sank off Porticello near Palermo at around 5 am. The survivors were rescued by coastguard patrol boats and the fire department.

Captain questioned for hours
It is unclear why the ship was anchored half a nautical mile off the coast in the difficult weather conditions. The captain of the Bayesian, James Catfield, was questioned for two hours by the prosecutors investigating the case.