Developments in the Shipwreck Case off Palermo:
Seven dead is the final tragic toll from the shipwreck of the sailing yacht Bayesian off the coast of Palermo, which sank after a storm on Monday.
According to information reported by British media, the search operations now appear to have concluded, and during the process, a total of six bodies were found, trapped inside the vessel that was discovered 50 meters deep on the seabed.
Among the victims, according to reports, were British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah Lynch, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, as well as Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda.
Watch the video: Rescue crews return with a body in a bag.
The British Telegraph confirms the identity of two of the four bodies discovered today – Searches continue at the sunken vessel with divers and robotic vehicles – Watch videos and see photos
Two more bodies (bringing the total to four) have been found in the wreckage of the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Palermo, Sicily, as confirmed by Sicily’s Civil Protection Agency to the BBC.
According to the British Telegraph, two of the recovered bodies have been confirmed to be those of tycoon Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah.
Sicily’s General Director of Civil Protection, Salvo Cocina, stated, “On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims during this difficult time.”
Earlier, two other bodies were found inside the sunken vessel and brought ashore for identification.
The identities of the two other bodies found this afternoon have not yet been confirmed. This means that two passengers who were on board the yacht when it sank on Monday are still missing.
The operations are extremely challenging. The spaces are very cramped, making movement inside the hull difficult. Moreover, only highly specialized personnel are allowed inside the hull, and only for a few minutes at a time due to the extreme conditions at such depths. Inside the hull, the water is filled with various objects from the yacht, making it difficult to thoroughly search the cabins.
It is difficult to clear a passage due to mattresses, pillows, clothing, and other personal belongings floating in the water, obstructing movement. Additionally, divers can only stay inside for a few minutes as the human body is subjected to extreme conditions.
Superyacht Sinking: Robots Assist in the Search for the Missing
As of now, six people from the 22 passengers on board have been reported missing.
Who Were the Missing
According to reports, the six missing passengers on the yacht were tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch, Morgan Stanley International’s non-executive chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, lawyer Chris Morvillo from Clifford Chance who represented Lynch, and his wife Neda Morvillo.
It appears that Lynch had invited members of his legal team, who had helped in his acquittal, as well as collaborators from other business projects, on this celebratory trip. Bloomer was a close friend of Mike Lynch.
Mike Lynch
Mike Lynch was a British-Irish technology entrepreneur, co-founder of Autonomy Corporation, and founder of Invoke Capital.
After studying and earning his PhD at the University of Cambridge, Lynch applied his research in machine learning to found software companies and became a prominent figure in Silicon Fen.
The sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 led to accusations of fraud, resulting in civil lawsuits in the UK and Lynch’s extradition to the US, where he was acquitted of all charges in June 2024.
Jonathan Bloomer
Jonathan Bloomer is the chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International and the insurance company Hiscox.
The 70-year-old Briton studied at Imperial College London and has previously served on various company boards.
Morgan Stanley: “We Are Deeply Shocked and Saddened”
On Tuesday afternoon, Morgan Stanley stated the incident, saying, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragedy.” A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley added, “Our thoughts are with all those affected, especially the Bloomer family, as we await further news from this terrible situation.”
Chris Morvillo
Lawyer Chris Morvillo had worked on high-profile corruption cases, including Lynch’s recent acquittal.
As an assistant US attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1999 to 2005, Morvillo worked on the criminal investigation surrounding the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks. Since 2011, he has been a partner at the law firm Clifford Chance in New York.
Meanwhile, prosecutors from the Termini Imerese Prosecutor’s Office, who have launched an investigation into the shipwreck, reported that they interrogated the captain of the Bayesian, James Catfield (51), for over two hours late into the night to piece together the dramatic events of the sinking and to gather technical details useful for the investigation.
Captain “Interrogated for More Than Two Hours”
The captain of the sunken Bayesian was “interrogated for more than two hours” by prosecutors, according to reports.
James Catfield, 51, the captain of the yacht, was questioned on Monday morning by prosecutors from the Termini Imerese Prosecutor’s Office after the vessel sank, as reported by Corriere della Sera.
The investigation into the shipwreck is ongoing, and Mr. Catfield was interrogated as authorities seek to reconstruct the events leading up to the incident. Prosecutors are expected to interview other survivors as part of the investigation.
Did the Crew Leave Open Hatches and Portholes?
At the same time, mystery surrounds the sinking of the luxury yacht Bayesian, as even experts struggle to explain how such a large yacht, reportedly equipped with the highest levels of safety equipment, sank within minutes when hit by severe weather early Monday morning.
The fact that another yacht, anchored near the superyacht just off the coast of Sicily, was unaffected by the storm raises further questions.
According to the BBC, four British inspectors from the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch have arrived in Sicily to conduct a preliminary assessment of the sinking conditions. The British team is working closely with Italian authorities, who are determined to uncover the causes of the rapid sinking of the Bayesian, although the priority remains to locate the missing passengers.
According to Reuters, two bodies were discovered by Italian coast guard authorities within the ship that had sunk and was lying 50 meters deep on the sea floor. The bodies have not yet been identified, and it remains to be determined which of the missing persons they belong to.
It is worth recalling that up until now, six of the 22 passengers remained missing, including tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch, Jonathan Blumer, non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley International, his wife Judy Blumer, lawyer Chris Morvillo of Clifford Chance who represented Lynch, and his wife Neda Morvillo.
Meanwhile, prosecutors from the Termini Imerese Prosecutor’s Office, who have launched an investigation into the shipwreck, reported that they interrogated the captain of the Bayesian, 51-year-old James Catfield, for more than two hours late into the night to piece together the dramatic phases of the shipwreck and gather technical details useful for the investigation.
Were Windows and Hatches Left Open by the Crew?
At the same time, the mystery surrounding the sinking of the luxury yacht Bayesian deepens, as even experts are struggling to explain how such a large, luxury yacht, reportedly equipped with top-level safety features, disappeared into the depths within minutes after being hit by severe weather early Monday morning.
The fact that another yacht, anchored near the superyacht just off the coast of Sicily, was unaffected by the storm raises even more questions.
According to the BBC, four British inspectors from the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch have arrived in Sicily to conduct a preliminary assessment of the conditions surrounding the sinking. The team of British experts is working closely with Italian authorities, who are determined to discover the causes of the Bayesian’s rapid sinking. However, the current priority remains to locate the missing persons.
“Black Swan Event”
Matthew Sank, president of the Naval Research and Rescue Council, stated that the Bayesian fell victim to an extremely intense and rare weather phenomenon. “Looking at the extreme weather conditions, if it was a waterspout, as it seems to have been, I would categorize it as a black swan event” (i.e., an event that is extremely difficult to predict under normal circumstances, but in hindsight appears to have been inevitable), he told Reuters.
He expressed confidence that the authorities will go “all the way” in determining what caused the sinking, thanks to the accounts of the survivors, witnesses, and the examination of the ship, which appears to remain intact on the seabed.
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