Reuters/Guglielmo MangiapaneUnder cloudy skies and rough waters, emergency operations continue in Porticello, where a luxury yacht holiday turned to horror.
As a Coast Guard helicopter circled overhead, divers were setting out from the harbor to continue the search for the Bayes’ six missing passengers. at.
Luca Cari of the Italian Fire and Rescue Service said that given the depth, divers could only stay underwater for 10 minutes before surfacing, limiting their work.
Divers trained to work in confined spaces have been flown in from Rome and Sardinia. Strong winds made the situation more difficult.
Vincenzo Pepe/Getty ImagesDivers found no body on the bridge (the room where the captain controls the vessel) and have entered the lounge, where they are working to gain access to the rest of the yacht.
The six missing passengers are expected to be trapped in the cabin and were likely sleeping when the boat capsized.
The missing include British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah; his lawyer Mike Corvillo and his wife Neda; and Morgan Stanley International President Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy.
The body of a yacht cook has been found. His identity has not been confirmed.
Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was one of 15 people rescued when they climbed into a life raft and lit a flare, attracting the attention of another captain.
The tragedy began on Sunday night when a violent storm hit the ship here.
That triggered a waterspout — a tornado-like column of swirling clouds and water — that engulfed Bayes early Monday morning. Witnesses said it broke off the 76m (249ft) aluminum mast and quickly engulfed it.
Recent intense heat and strong winds reportedly prompted weather warnings before the capsize. Temperatures in the Mediterranean were 30 degrees Celsius – above normal – increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events.
Among the survivors were several British nationals who were staying at a local hotel, but reporters were denied access.
Among them was Charlotte Golunski, who clung to her one-year-old daughter for dear life on the water and told how she heard screams all around her.
Ed Llewellyn, the British ambassador to Italy, told me that he visited survivors and heard their pain.
“This highlights what a desperate and distressing situation they find themselves in,” he said.
“My heart, and I believe the heart of the entire country, is with them. We will do everything we can to help in this very difficult and heartbreaking situation.
He confirmed that marine investigators sent by the UK have arrived in Sicily and are working with their Italian counterparts to conduct a preliminary assessment.
Local prosecutors are also investigating the circumstances of the tragedy and whether any steps could have been taken to mitigate it, including closing the ship’s cabin doors overnight.
Yacht captain James Catfield from New Zealand told Italian media that a sudden waterspout turned a luxury superyacht into a death trap. “We just didn’t see it coming,” he said.
