Tragic shipwreck in Porticello: the Megayacht "Bayesian" sinks, dead and missing
A violent tornado has hit the Sicilian coast, sinking the luxury megayacht "Bayesian". Among the victims and missing, British tycoon Mike Lynch and other prominent figures. Rescue operations are underway.
Tragic shipwreck in Porticello: the Megayacht "Bayesian" sinks, dead and missing.
A tragic catastrophe has struck the Sicilian coast, precisely in Porticello, a small seaside village near Palermo. A sailing megayacht, the “Bayesian”, 56 meters long and flying the British flag, it sank due to a violent whirlwind that hit the area in the early hours of the morning. The accident caused the death of one person and the disappearance of six others, including the British tycoon Mike Lynch, considered the "Bill Gates of England", and Jonathan Bloomer, president of Morgan Stanley International.
The protagonists of the accident
The “Bayesian”, a luxurious vessel built by the Perini Navi shipyard in Viareggio in February 2008, it was owned by Mike Lynch, a British entrepreneur best known for founding the multinational computer company Autonomy and later the cybersecurity company Darktrace. The vessel, registered on the Isle of Man, was registered to the Revtom company, administered by Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who fortunately survived the accident. They were on board 22 people: 12 passengers, mostly employees of Lynch companies, and 10 crew members. The vessel had recently been refitted in 2020 and boasted luxury features such as an aluminum hull and superstructure, as well as teak decks.
The dynamics of the shipwreck
The disaster occurred around 4 a.m., when a violent storm hit the area of Santa Flavia, in the sea of Bagheria. The storm unleashed very strong winds, accompanied by a whirlwind that quickly destabilized the “Bayesian”. According to some testimonies, the wind broke the main mast of the yacht, a 75 meter high aluminum giant, the tallest of its kind in the world. This event caused the vessel to become unbalanced, which tilted and began to take on water. Within minutes, the megayacht sank, taking its passengers and crew with it.
Many of those present did not have time to leave their cabins before the boat sank. However, thanks to the intervention timely rescuers, including the crew of the Dutch sailing ship "Sir Robert Baden Powell" anchored nearby, 15 people were rescued. Among the survivors is Charlotte Golunski, a 35-year-old British woman, who managed to save her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, by catching her in the raging waves. Charlotte recounted those terrible moments, explaining how, within minutes, the boat was hit by a very strong wind and sank shortly after. Together with ten other survivors, she was taken to hospital to receive the necessary treatment, but fortunately both she and her daughter are fine.
Rescue operations
The sinking of the “Bayesian” triggered a vast rescue operation, coordinated by the Italian Coast Guard. The first castaways were rescued by the crew of the “Sir Robert Baden Powell” and subsequently brought ashore by four Coast Guard vessels, coming from Porticello, Termini Imerese and Palermo. The search operations for the missing were particularly complex due to the sea conditions and the depth at which the vessel was located, approximately 50 meters below sea level and half a mile from the coast.
Teams of divers from the Coast Guard of Messina, along with speleo divers from the Fire Department from Rome, Sassari and Cagliari, have been mobilized to explore the wreck and search for any survivors or recover the bodies of missing persons. During the dives, the divers have already identified bodies inside the hull through the portholes, but recovery is made difficult by the adverse conditions and depth.
The body of one of the victims, Ricardo Thomas, the ship's cook, was recovered near the wreck. Thomas, born in Canada but with an Antiguan passport, was one of the people who didn't make it to safety before the boat sank. In addition to him, those missing also include Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, as well as Chris Morvillo, CEO of one of Lynch's companies, and his wife Nada. The searches continue incessantly, with the hope of finding other people still alive.
The testimonies and reactions
The testimonies of survivors and rescuers are chilling. Karsten Börner, the commander of the “Sir Robert Baden Powell”, he recounted how, in the midst of the storm, he saw the mainmast of the “Bayesian” bend and break, causing the vessel to list dangerously before it sank. Börner described the horror of those moments, as he tried to hold his ship in position with the engines running, before raising the alarm and sending a tender to rescue the survivors.
Local fishermen also witnessed the incident. Pietro Asciutto, a fisherman from Porticello, said he saw the whirlwind hit the boat while it was still anchored in the harbor. “I saw it sink suddenly,” he said, expressing his dismay at the speed with which the tragedy occurred. The entire village of Porticello was shaken by the event, which transformed a normal summer night into a scene of devastation and death.
The investigations and the consequences
The Termini Imerese Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation to shed light on the exact dynamics of the shipwreck and any possible responsibilities. Investigators are trying to understand how it was possible that a modern and luxurious vessel, recently renovated, could sink so quickly while other vessels in the vicinity did not suffer significant damage. Among the hypotheses being examined is that of a structural anomaly that could have contributed to the failure of the main mast, but also the possibility that the storm hit with such force as to put the vessel in crisis despite its safety equipment .
Meanwhile, recovery operations continue, with the aim of bringing the wreck of the "Bayesian" to light and recovering the bodies of the victims. The Coast Guard and Fire Brigade are working in difficult conditions, trying to conclude operations as soon as possible to provide a response to the families of the victims and close this painful affair.
Support for survivors
In response to the tragedy, the Municipality of Bagheria, in collaboration with Caritas, the Red Cross and the Civil Protection, activated a solidarity network to provide help to the survivors. Clothing, medical care and psychological support were provided, particularly for those who lost friends and family in the accident. The local authorities also expressed their condolences and their closeness to the families of the victims, while the community of Porticello, normally quiet and dedicated to fishing, was deeply shocked by the event.
The shipwreck
The shipwreck of the “Bayesian” represents a tragedy of enormous proportions, both for the number of victims and for the involvement of prominent figures in the world of international business. The story has raised many questions, both about the safety of luxury boats in adverse weather conditions and about the response capacity of rescue teams in such serious emergency situations.
While the rescue and recovery operations continue, attention is also focused on the investigations, which will have to clarify the causes of the sinking and establish any responsibilities. Lessons learned from this tragedy could lead to improved maritime safety standards, with the aim of preventing future disasters.
For now, the priority remains finding the missing and give them a dignified burial, while the survivors try to process the trauma of an event
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