Tributes paid to superyacht chef ‘whose smile lit up the room’
A body recovered near the Bayesian superyacht[1] has been confirmed as Recaldo Thomas.
Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef, was part of the 10-member crew working on the Bayesian[2].
Tributes have been paid by friends and loved ones to the man whose “smile lit up the room”.
Gareth Williams, who knew the chef for 30 years, told the BBC: “I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.
“He would come over to mine over the weekend and he would sing. He had the deepest, most sultry voice in the world, and a smile that lit up the room.
“He told me just the other day that he needed to work two more seasons to fix up his late parents’ house. He loved yachting, but he was tired.”
Rescue efforts for the six people still missing continued for a second day on Tuesday
Credit: AFP
Divers searched the site around the Bayesian in search for the missing, including Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah
Credit: AFP
On social media, one friend wrote: “An honour and a pleasure to have been your friend, it just wasn’t long enough….we had so much to conquer.
“Love to the Recaldo Thomas family, I am so sorry. Such a very special person for many of us, the laughter, the great kindness, the generosity, the love. He had so much to give.”
Another said: “Going to miss you so much Recaldo Thomas. Still finding this so hard to believe.”
This afternoon, three crew members who survived the incident were named as Leo Eppel, Leah Randall and Kaja Chichen.
Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah[3], Jonathan and Judy Bloomer, and Chris and Neda Morvillo are still missing.
That’s all for today
Here is a summary of today’s developments:
- Body found confirmed as Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef working on board the Bayesian
- Coastguards name surviving crew members as Leo Eppel, Leah Randall and Katja Chicken
- Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah and four others remain missing
- Coastguard believes missing six are trapped inside the yacht
- Emergency services have big choices to make as search efforts intensify at the end of the second day
- Crew ‘should have woken guest and given them life jackets’ during storm, says weather expert
- Divers report seeing ‘nothing inside the yacht’
- Costa Concordia divers join the search
Survivor ‘spared by grace of God’
The mother of one of the survivors has spoken of her relief at her daughter’s rescue.
Heidi Randall, the mother of Leah Randall, a member of the Bayesian’s crew, told Sky News: “I’m beyond relieved that my daughter’s life was spared by the grace of God.
“It doesn’t make it any easier living with the heartache of those who have lost their lives or are missing.
“My very deepest condolences to the chef’s family as they formed a great friendship.”
Emergency services have ‘big choice to make’
Emergency teams trying to access the submerged Bayesian yacht will have to make “a big choice” as the rescue efforts intensify, a maritime diving and wreckage expert has said.
Bertrand Sciboz told the BBC: “I think 50 metres is a limit to dive with a certain category of professional divers, so you will need to dive with some kind of helmet and pipe and [be] connected to the surface for oxygen, and also for for speaking and hearing and telling what you see and and do.
“It’s always very difficult, and especially with a sailing vessel, because you’ve got rope everywhere, you’ve got a sail which is floating in the current, because we are in Mediterranean Sea and not in the English Channel.
“But the main thing, you know, it’s the fact that in those kind of conditions, it’s very hard to go inside the wreck, and they will have to have to make a big choice at one moment, of salvaging the whole wreck or rescuing the bodies.”
Neighbour ‘horrified’ to learn Mike Lynch is missing
A neighbour of Mike Lynch said she was “honestly horrified” when she learned he was missing after his Bayesian yacht sank in a tornado.
Ruth Leigh, of Pettistree, Suffolk, said she “knew they had the yacht”, but “couldn’t believe it” when she heard the news.
“I thought this can’t be right,” she said.
The 57-year-old author added: “It’s dreadful, it’s the worst news.”
She said they had been neighbours for around 15 years and that “right from the start [Mr Lynch] was a fantastic neighbour”.
“Even though he was incredibly wealthy and a very important person he never ever gave that impression,” said Ms Leigh.
“Whenever he met you he always remembers your name, he would chat to you, incredibly friendly and down to earth which we thought was a great quality. He was a really good neighbour.”
Who is Mike Lynch?
Rescue teams could be listening for timed banging noise
Rescue teams trying to access the submerged Bayesian yacht could be listening out for a timed banging noise, a senior university lecturer has said.
Dr Jean-Baptiste Souppez, who teaches mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University, said: “A sign the rescuers may be looking for is a banging noise at regular intervals.
“This is common practice on submarines, and was one of the signs the search mission for the Titan submarine was looking for after it went missing last year.”
Dr Souppez added the next 24 hours of the rescue operation were “crucial” and the chance of air pockets forming inside the vessel was “simply impossible to predict”.
CCTV captures Bayesian in the storm
Footage captured at 4.10am by a shipyard surveillance camera shows the Bayesian being caught in the storm.
Twenty-five minutes later, the yacht fires an emergency flare before it submerges under the waves.
[embedded content]
6:34PM
[12]
Missing six feared trapped inside the boat
The Italian coastguard has confirmed it believes Mike Lynch and five others still missing are trapped inside the yacht.
Vincenzo Zagarola, a spokesman for the coastguard, said officials had drawn this conclusion because of the lack of results by rescue teams outside the vessel and the speed at which they believe the yacht sank.
He said: “We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea. Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours.
“Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly. We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.”
Asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he replied: “Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.”
Another survivor named by coastguard
Leo Eppel has been named among the survivors by the Italian coastguard.
Mr Eppel, Leah Randall and Katja Chicken were one of the 10 crew members aboard the Bayesian when it sank.
Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef, was confirmed dead by officials this afternoon.
Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Jonathan and Judy Bloomer, and Chris and Neda Morvillo are still missing.
Tributes made for ‘inspirational’ chef
Tributes for Recaldo Thomas have been made after the chef was confirmed as the body recovered near the Bayesian superyacht.
Eli Fuller, told the BBC: “He knew everybody and was friends with everybody. He’d always ask how you were doing, how your family was – he was always positive.
“Personality was very important in his job. The world’s richest people want to hang out with someone social. He was sought after.”
Thomas was also called an inspiration to young black children by Mr Fuller. “The kids would see all these white people working on yachts. For them to see an Antiguan man travelling all over the world – it was important for our community.”
On social media, one friend wrote: “An honour and a pleasure to have been your friend, it just wasn’t long enough….we had so much to conquer.
“Love to the Recaldo Thomas family, I am so sorry. Such a very special person for many of us, the laughter, the great kindness the generosity, the love. He had so much to give.”
Another said: “Going to miss you so much Recaldo Thomas. Still finding this so hard to believe.”
Recaldo Thomas has been confirmed as the body recovered from the sunken superyacht
Credit: FACEBOOK
5:30PM
[15]
Yacht’s chef confirmed as body recovered in water
A body recovered near the Bayesian superyacht has been confirmed as Recaldo Thomas.
Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef, was part of the 10-member crew working on the Bayesian.
Friends of Thomas have been paying tribute to the man whose “smile lit up the room”.
Gareth Williams, who knew the chef for 30 years, told the BBC: “I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.
“He would come over to mine over the weekend and he would sing. He had the deepest, most sultry voice in the world, and a smile that lit up the room.
“He told me just the other day that he needed to work two more seasons to fix up his late parents’ house. He loved yachting, but he was tired.”
Coastguard names two more survivors
The Italian Coastguard has confirmed the names of two more survivors rescued from the superyacht.
Leah Randall and Katja Chicken, both South African nationals, worked as crew members on the Bayesian.
Katja Chicken leaving the coastguard after being rescued
Credit: IGOR PETYX/REUTERS
Leah Randall, centre, leaving coastguard HQ
Credit: IGOR PETYX
4:48PM
[17]
Mediterranean’s weather becoming more dangerous
The Bayesian’s sinking is the latest sign that the weather in the Mediterranean is becoming more dangerous, experts say.
Climatologists say global warming is making such violent and unexpected storms more frequent.
Luca Mercalli, the president of Italy’s meteorological society, said the sea surface temperature around Sicily was about 30C, almost three degrees more than normal, in the run up to the sinking.
“This creates an enormous source of energy that contributes to these storms,” he told Reuters.
Massimo Aramu, who runs the Akua sailing school on the coast near Rome, said he did not like navigating Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast around Sicily because there are “often critical situations with little warning”.
Last week, a storm similar to the one that sank the Bayesian hit the Balearics.
Giuliano Gallo, a former skipper who crossed the Atlantic, said the Mediterranean was becoming more like the Caribbean, with boats avoiding areas at certain times of the year.
“But things are less predictable in the Mediterranean,” he said.
Pictured: Helicopter flies above Porticello
Credit: ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP
3:56PM
[19]
Underwater vehicle helping divers search for missing passengers
Italian rescue workers are using a remotely operated underwater vehicle in their search for missing passengers on the Bayesian.
In a statement the coastguard said five patrol boats, one helicopter and divers had been working since the early hours of this morning.
Divers are still assessing the safety of the superyacht before they can enter and look for possible survivors.
Divers ‘can see nothing inside the yacht’
Rescue divers can see nothing inside the yacht from the outside and have only been able to inspect the Bayesian’s bridge deck.
Firefighter spokesman Luca Cari said divers had entered the yacht’s salon using a ladder and were trying to find the best way to advance safely.
“We located a glass window through which we could enter. But it is closed from the inside and three centimetres thick, so we have to be able to remove it so we can advance further inside,” he said.
According to the local rescue centre in Sicily, emergency divers found the wreck at a depth of 187ft.
Crew ‘should have woken guests and given them life jackets’ during storm
The crew of the Bayesian should have woken up guests and given them life jackets during the storm which sank the superyacht, a weather expert has said.
Luca Mercalli, one of Italy’s leading climate experts and president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said the crew should have paid more attention to weather warnings and prepared passengers accordingly.
Prof Mercalli said that although the waterspout which hit the vessel was not predictable, the crew should have been more vigilant. Italian authorities had issued a “yellow” and then a moderate weather alert.
He told The Telegraph: “I don’t know if there was anyone on board consulting the radar.
“Let’s say that if I had been on board, at the first sign of a thunderstorm I would have woken up all the occupants and been ready and alert with life jackets on until the storm was over.”
Prof Mercalli said the weather radar made it possible to estimate an intense thunderstorm within 15 to 30 minutes, even though it is impossible to know if the wind intensity will reach dangerous levels.
Six people are still missing after the £30 million yacht sank half a mile off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.
Bayesian ‘a small Costa Concordia’
A new image shows firefighters analysing yacht cutaways as the rescue mission continues.
Luca Cari, a firefighters’ spokesman, described the sunken Bayesian “as a small Costa Concordia” because of the challenges in access to find the missing people and the space restrictions.
“Inside the sailing ship the spaces are very small, and if you encounter an obstacle it is very complicated to advance and also very difficult to find alternative routes,” he said.
Firefighters analyse a yacht map
Credit: Handout/AFP
2:28PM
[23]
Search for missing Bayesian passengers ‘very complicated’ because yacht is intact
The search for missing passengers of the Bayesian is “very complicated” because the superyacht is intact, according to a diver at the scene.
Marco Tilotta, a firefighter diver from Palermo, said the £30 million vessel was lying on its side at a depth of 48 metres. He said divers were unable to gain access because of floating furnishings and other debris inside the yacht.
In his interview with Il Messaggero, he said: “It looked like a scenario similar to the Costa Concordia on a smaller scale. Unfortunately, these are very complicated searches.’’
Last picture of the Bayesian superyacht before it sank
2:25PM
[24]
Mike Lynch held garden party at Suffolk home following acquittal in fraud trial
Mike Lynch held a garden party at his Suffolk home following his acquittal in a fraud trial before embarking on his yacht trip in the Mediterranean.
Mr Lynch brought together friends and local business leaders including Lord Deben and former deputy prime minister Thérèse Coffey for canapes at his 16th century manor house in rural Suffolk, a parish council leader has said. Chair of the Pettistree parish council Sue Jones told The Telegraph that the British tech entrepreneur held the summer fête regularly until his extradition to the US last year on criminal fraud charges.
She said: “We were all very happy to see him back.”
“He had just got out from under a number of years of stress and was just trying to start again. It’s quite hard to believe what has happened.”
Mike Lynch and others still inside Bayesian, says Italian coast guard
Mike Lynch and others are still believed to be inside the Bayesian, according to the Italian coast guard.
Vincenzo Zagarola, a spokesman for the organisation, said this was because the yacht sank in just a few minutes, with search and rescue teams unable to find the missing bodies.
He said: “We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea. Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours.
“Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.
“We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.”
Asked if there was any hope of finding the missing alive, he said: “Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be no.”
A rapid inflatable emergency lifeboat in Porticello Harbour on the Sicilian coast where the search continues
Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA
1:37PM
[26]
Sicily yacht sinking: Who is missing and who survived?
The search for missing passengers who were on board Bayesian[27] has entered its second day.
The Italian coast guard recovered one body on Monday, with six people still to be found in the wreckage of the £30 million superyacht[28], which is now 165ft underwater.
Some 15 people were rescued. The six missing include four British nationals and two Americans, according to La Repubblica.
Clifford Chance says it is ‘deeply saddened’ by the sinking of the Bayesian
Clifford Chance, the law firm, said it is “deeply saddened” by the sinking of the Bayesian off the coast of Sicily.
Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, is missing following the incident.
A spokesman for the firm said: “We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with our partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife, Neda, who are among the missing.
“Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner thankfully survived the incident.
“Our thoughts extend to the other passengers and crew and all those affected.
“We have no further comment at this time.
“We, and the families, ask that their request for privacy is honoured during this period.”
Inside the £30m superyacht
The Bayesian, previously called the Salute, was built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi in consultation with Ron Holland Design.
Inside, the sleek, minimalist furnishings were designed by yacht designer Rémi Tessier. The Bayesian, which accommodates 12 guests in its master, three double and two twin bedrooms, was furnished with a teak deck and beige sofas set against dark wood furnishings.
Thin brown pillars and miniature terracotta sculptures offered a Japanese influence, while a crescent canvas awning kept guests cool on the top deck.
The superyacht took home best interior at the International Superyacht Society Awards 2008 and was also voted best sailing yacht over 45 metres at the 2009 World Superyacht Awards.
Costa Concordia divers helping search
Divers who took part in the Costa Concordia rescue are on the same team searching for Bayesian survivors, The Telegraph understands.
In January 2012, the 114,000-tonne cruise liner carrying more than 4,000 passengers hit a submerged rock off the coast of Isola del Giglio near Tuscany, killing 32 people.
It became one of the largest maritime salvage operations in history, involving hundreds of engineers and drivers.
Some of those who took part in the search-and-rescue operation are on the same team scouring the Bayesian for six missing passengers, it is understood.
Water visibility is good, says fire department searching wreckage
Marco Tilotta, a fire department diver, has said water visibility is good at the site of the Bayesian wreckage.
He said divers are determined to get inside the vessel before the weather changes.
“We just finished the first dive, now we will do a briefing and continue throughout the day,’’ he said, according to the Giornale di Sicilia website.
“We checked the hull from the outside, visibility is good and now our goal is to go inside the boat.”
Mr Tilotta was one of the first divers who arrived at the scene of the wreck soon after it sank 50 metres off the coast of Porticello in Sicily on Monday.
Three survivors discharged from hospital
Three of the survivors from the Bayesian sinking were discharged from a hospital in Palermo this afternoon.
Charlotte Golunsky, her husband, James Emsley, and their baby daughter, Sofia, left the Di Cristina Children’s Hospital in a black van via a back entrance.
They were accompanied by an officer from the British embassy, who covered the family’s faces with a jacket to hide them from a huddle of photographers.
Pictured: The search for passengers on board the Bayesian enters its second day
Divers off Porticello on the site where the Bayesian sank with 22 people onboard
Credit: AFP
A lifeboat is docked in Porticello near Palermo
Credit: ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP
12:44PM
[36]
Mother of one-year-old shares further details of incident
Dr Domenico Cipolla, director of the emergency department at Di Cristina Children’s Hospital, said Charlotte Golunski had told him further details about the sinking of the yacht.
He told RAI news: “The mother said while she was sleeping with her daughter, they found themselves in the water in just a few moments.
“She held the little girl tightly. The light was gone. For a few seconds the little girl slipped from her hands and she held her with her arms in the air. Within seconds they reached the yacht’s life raft.”
From a clinical point of view he said they were fine, and receiving psychological support, he added.
Survivors speak of shock following incident
Charlotte Golunski, and her husband, James Emsley, who survived the Bayesian sinking along with their one-year-old daughter have told of their shock that they are alive.
Dr Domenico Cipolla, director of the emergency department at Di Cristina Children’s Hospital, told RAI news the couple had repeatedly said: “We don’t know how we are here alive, we are survivors.”
He added: “The parents alternate between moments when they are confident and others when they are sad for the fate of their missing travelling companions”.
“Until yesterday they had some hope and asked us for news. They are very distressed. They were all friends and knew each other. They are very sad about what happened. They said that Mark Lynch had organized this holiday with great enthusiasm.”
Pictured: Rescue operation continues off Porticello coast
The rescue operation following the sinking of the Bayesian has continued, with teams searching the water for missing passengers of the superyacht.
Rescue personnel work in the area where superyacht sank off the coast of Porticello
Credit: Guglielmo Mangiapane/REUTERS
12:26PM
[39]
Missing 18-year-old Hannah Lynch was a student at west London’s Latymer Upper School
Latymer Upper School, a private school in west London, confirmed to The Telegraph that 18-year-old Hannah Lynch had been a student at the school.
A spokesperson for Latymer Upper School told The Telegraph: “We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.”
Ms Lynch was a student at the school from 2017 until 2024. She is believed to have received her A-level results last week and held an offer to study English at the University of Oxford.
The Telegraph understands Ms Lynch was a scholar at Latymer Upper School and regular prizewinner, receiving an award for outstanding academic achievement last year.
Mike Lynch and his wife Angela Lynch were also frequent donors to the school, contributing to Latymer Upper School’s bursary fund in 2023, 2022 and 2021.
British ambassador to Italy expresses ‘deep sympathy’ for those affected
Sir Ed Llewellyn, the British ambassador to Italy, who has been visiting the survivors of the Bayesian accident, has expressed his “deep sympathy” for those affected.
Speaking outside the hotel in Porticello, Sir Ed said: “My heart goes out to them. I’ve spoken to some of the British survivors both yesterday and today. I want to express my deep sympathy from myself and colleagues at the British Embassy for what’s happened.
“We’re doing what we can to support them in this incredibly sad and difficult situation to help them with contacts from the Italian authorities at a practical level.”
British ambassador to Italy, Sir Ed Llewellyn, speaks to the press in Porticello near Palermo, on Tuesday
Credit: ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP
11:57AM
[41]
Charity pays tribute to missing Judy Bloomer
Judy Bloomer, who is one of the six people missing following the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht, has been called a “brilliant champion for women’s health” by a charity she has worked with.
Athena Lamnisos, the CEO of the Eve Appeal, where Ms Bloomer has been a trustee for more than 20 years, said “Everyone at the charity is deeply shocked to hear the news that our very dear friend Judy is amongst the missing. Our thoughts are with Judy and Jonathan’s family, and all those who are still waiting for news after this tragic event.”
Mrs Bloomer’s husband, Jonathan, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International Bank and insurance company Hiscox, is also missing.
We have heard the news that an incredible former Trustee and champion for women’s health, medical research and all that The Eve Appeal stands for, Judy Bloomer, is amongst those still missing in Sicily this morning.
— The Eve Appeal (@eveappeal) August 20, 2024[42]
11:49AM
[43]
Fisherman describes witnessing a ‘tornado’ on Monday morning
Giuseppe Cefalu, a local fisherman, said he saw a “tornado” close to the port of Porticello on Monday morning.
Mr Cefalu said he and his brother Fabio saw a flare in the sky at around 5am.
The pair aided efforts to locate people in the water after the yacht sank, but Mr Cefalu said he only saw cushions and a buoy.
He said weather conditions on the morning of the sinking were “fierce”, with “very strong” wind and rain.
One-year-old survivor of yacht sinking ‘slept well’ last night
The one-year-old baby, who survived the sinking of the Bayesian after her mother fought to prevent her child, Sofia, from drowning, slept peacefully in hospital last night.
Charlotte Golunski, 38, a senior associate at Invoke, Mr Lynch’s venture capital firm, yesterday told of how she kept her daughter alive after the superyacht was hit by a tornado.
The Oxford graduate was among guests on board the Bayesian to celebrate Mr Lynch’s acquittal in an $11 billion (£8.5 billion) fraud case in June.
Adnkronos, the Italian news agency, reported that Sofia was kept in the Giovanni di Cristina Children’s Hospital, in Palermo, last night as a precaution.
Dr Domenico Cipolla, head of emergency department said: “She slept all night.”
Team of divers conducting further search
A boat carrying a team of divers has left the port of Porticello, near Palermo on Sicily, for a further search near the site where the luxury yacht Bayesian sank.
A boat from Vigili del Fuoco – the Italian fire service – was also seen leaving the port at around 11.30am local time on Tuesday.
The fire brigade said the entrance to the yacht on the seabed is “complex” with planning under way to “open” easier access to it.
Meanwhile, local Nino Minado showed the PA news agency CCTV footage of the weather conditions on the morning the yacht sank.
Extreme heavy wind and rain appeared to batter Porticello, shaking the camera.
Italian emergency services headed out to sea towards the area off the Sicilian coast
Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA
11:15AM
[46]
Team of psychologists supporting survivors
A team of psychologists from the Civil Protection Department has been made available to the survivors of the shipwreck, an Italian news agency reports.
Adnkronos reported that two psychologists from the local health service went to the Domina Zagarella hotel this morning to support survivors.
Lord Edward Llewellyn, British Ambassador to Italy, also met with the passengers.
Two other passengers named
Salvo Cocina, the Sicily civil protection chief, has confirmed that Chris Morvillo and his wife, Nada, are the two other missing Britons following the sinking of the Bayesian.
The Italian coast guard has recovered one body with six people still to be found in the wreckage of the Bayesian, now 165ft underwater on the seabed.
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among seven feared dead after the £30 million yacht sank as it moored half a mile off the coast of Sicily.
Nada Morvillo wife of Christopher Morvillo also missing
10:45AM
[48]
Climate change contributed to the weather that caused Bayesian to sink, claims expert
Prof Mercalli, one of Italy’s leading climate experts, said climate change had contributed to the weather phenomenon that caused the boat to sink.
He said: “The sea surface temperature around Sicily was about 30 degrees, which is almost three degrees higher than normal. That creates a huge source of energy that contributes to these storms.
“We can’t say this is all due to climate change, but we can say it has an amplifying effect.”
Prof Mercalli said the sinking of Mike Lynch’s luxury yacht was similar to the boating tragedy in which four people were killed on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy in May 2023.
“It was daylight, but the rapidity of the phenomenon left no room for manoeuvre,’’ he said of the Lake Maggiore accident.
Four people drowned including a former agent from Israel’s spy agency Mossad, two Italian intelligence officers and a Russian woman.
They were among 23 people aboard the small boat that set out to cruise the lake.
Leading climate expert says crew should have paid more attention to weather warnings
Luca Mercalli, one of Italy’s leading climate experts and president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said the crew of the Bayesian should have paid more attention to the weather warnings issued by Italian authorities before the tragedy occurred.
While noting the tornado that occurred off Sicily’s coast was not predictable, Professor Mercalli told The Telegraph the authorities had issued a “yellow” then a moderate weather alert and the crew should have been more vigilant of the changing weather conditions despite the darkness.
Prof Mercalli said: “I don’t know if there was anyone on board consulting the radar.
“Let’s say that if I had been on board, at the first sign of a thunderstorm I would have woken up all the occupants and been ready and alert with life jackets on until the storm was over.”
He said weather radar made it possible to estimate within 15 to 30 minutes the arrival of an intense thunderstorm, even though it is impossible to know if the wind intensity will reach dangerous levels.
Morgan Stanley has said it is ‘shocked and saddened’ its non-executive chairman is missing
Morgan Stanley has said it is “shocked and saddened” by news that its non-executive chairman, Jonathan Bloomer, is among those missing following the sinking of the Bayesian.
A spokesman for the bank said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragedy.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation.”
Chairman Morgan Stanley Jonathan Bloomer is missing
10:26AM
[51]
Pictured: Bayesian passenger rescue operation off the coast of Porticello
The rescue operation for passengers of the Bayesian has entered its second day.
Search teams have been pictured on lifeboats off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo.
The Italian coast guard has recovered one body with six people still to be found in the wreckage, now 165ft underwater on the sea bed.
Rescue personnel operate on boats on the sea near the scene where a luxury yacht sank
Credit: REUTERS
10:03AM
[52]
Family of Mike Lynch’s fraud trial co-defendant pays tribute to ‘much loved father, son, brother and friend’ following death
The family of Stephen Chamberlain, co-defendant in the US trial of missing technology tycoon Mike Lynch, have described him as “a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend” following his death after being hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.
In a statement released through Cambridgeshire Police, the family said: “Steve was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.
“He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible.
“He made a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
“He will be deeply missed but forever in the hearts of his loved ones.”
Stephen Chamberlain who was killed whilst out running on Saturday in the village of Stretham in Cambridgeshire
Credit: Cambridgeshire Police/PA
9:56AM
[53]
What could have made the superyacht sink?
Bayesian’s 237ft metal mast may have played a part in the sinking of the superyacht off the coast of Sicily, experts have suggested.
Key among potential reasons for the loss of the vessel will be its most striking feature – the aluminium mast.
Bayesian had the tallest aluminium mast in the world when it first took to the seas under her former name Salute. The record was overtaken last year when Jeff Bezos, the Amazon billionaire, launched his yacht, Koru.[54]
The pressure of high winds on the mast could have helped tip the boat over in rough seas, experts have suggested.
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9:54AM
[55]
Bayesian rescue operation ‘a small Costa Concordia’, says firefighter
The Bayesian rescue operation has been likened to “a small Costa Concordia” by a member of the firefighter department.
Luca Cari said the challenges in accessing the vessel were similar to those posed by the cruise ship that sank off the island of Giglio in 2012.
He told ANSA news agency: “It is a small Concordia. Inside the sailing ship the spaces are very small and if you encounter an obstacle it is very complicated to advance, and it is also very difficult to find alternative routes.”
So far divers have only been able to inspect the bridge deck and the team has not found any bodies in that area.
Details of the Bayesian superyacht
[embedded content]
9:43AM
[57]
‘We didn’t see it coming’, says Bayesian yacht crew member
A crew member of the Bayesian superyacht has said the crew didn’t see the tornado coming.
James Catfield was named by Italian media as one of fifteen crew members and passengers who were rescued from the sinking ship after the waterspout hit the vessel.
Speaking from a hospital in the town of Termini Imerese, he told La Repubblica: “We didn’t see it coming.”
He didn’t comment any further on the incident which took place on Monday morning.
Superyacht sinking in bad weather ‘unprecedented’, says maritime expert
A vessel the size of the Bayesian superyacht sinking in bad weather is “unprecedented”, according to a maritime expert.
Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said the tornado over water, known as a waterspout, that struck the 184ft yacht with 22 people on board should not have caused it to sink.
He told GB News: “It’s sort of unprecedented, really, to have a vessel of that size, being certified and commercially operated, to suffer such a significant event in weather that was pretty severe by all accounts, but should have been within the limits of the vessel itself.”
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among seven passengers and crew feared dead after the £30 million yacht sank as it moored half a mile off the coast of Sicily on Monday morning.
Mr Lynch, dubbed Britain’s Bill Gates, had been acquitted of fraud in a San Francisco courtroom in June, having been found not guilty on all counts of inflating the value of Autonomy, the company he sold to the US tech giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for £8.6 billion.
He and others including Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, were on a trip to celebrate his acquittal. They are among those missing.
The Italian coast guard has recovered one body with six people still to be found in the wreckage of the Bayesian, now 165ft underwater on the seabed.
Watch: Rescue operation for missing passengers of Bayesian resumes
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Darktrace pays tribute to Mike Lynch’s US fraud trial co-defendant
Darktrace, a British cyber security company, has paid tribute to its former chief operating officer, Steve Chamberlain, who was Mike Lynch’s co-defendant in his US fraud trial.
Mr Chamberlain died following a road accident that left him critically injured on Saturday, shortly before the tycoon went missing in the sinking of a superyacht.
Stephen Chamberlain was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire, two days before Mr Lynch was listed as missing after a tornado sank his superyacht off the coast of Sicily.
A Darktrace spokesman said: “We are incredibly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Steve Chamberlain, Darktrace’s former Chief Operating Officer and a substantial contributor to the team in its early years.
“Steve was much loved by his colleagues and leaves many friends at Darktrace. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Karen, and the rest of his family who are very much in our thoughts at this challenging time.”
Hiscox chief pays tribute to company chair Jonathan Bloomer
The chief executive of Hiscox, an insurance company, has paid tribute to the organisation’s chair, Jonathan Bloomer, who is thought to have died after the Bayesian superyacht sank on Monday.
Aki Hussain said in a statement: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event. Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.”
Mike Lynch co-defendant in fraud trial dies after being hit by car
Mike Lynch’s co-defendant in his US fraud trial has died following a road accident that left him critically injured on Saturday, shortly before the tycoon went missing in the sinking of a superyacht[63].
Stephen Chamberlain was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire, two days before Mr Lynch was listed as missing after a tornado sank his superyacht off the coast of Sicily.
Yacht ‘practically intact’ on seabed, says diver
The Bayesian superyacht is “practically intact” on the seabed, according to a diver inspecting the wreckage.
In an interview with the Italian daily, Il Messaggero, Marco Tilotta, a firefighter diver from Palermo, said the £30 million yacht was lying on its side at a depth of 48 metres, but he said divers were unable to gain access because of floating furnishings and other debris inside the yacht.
He said: “When we went down to the water around 5.30am, we found a yacht that was practically intact.
“It is resting on its side on the starboard side. It has no gashes, no signs of impact.’’
Did Bayesian superyacht’s 237ft mast cause it to sink?
Bayesian’s 237ft metal mast may have played a part in the sinking of the superyacht off the coast of Sicily[67], experts have suggested.
The yacht, named after the mathematical theory Mike Lynch[68] used to make his millions in the tech industry, foundered in the small hours of Monday morning.
Key among potential reasons for the loss of the vessel will be its most striking feature – the aluminium mast.
Mike Lynch and teenage daughter feared dead in superyacht sinking
Mike Lynch, 59, and his teenage daughter Hannah are among seven passengers and crew thought to have been killed after his £30 million yacht sank half a mile off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Italian coast guard has recovered one body with six people still to be found[71] in the wreckage of the Bayesian, now 165ft underwater on the sea bed.
A tornado over water, known as a waterspout, had struck the 184ft yacht[72] with 22 people on board as it moored overnight off Porticello, a fishing village 10 miles east of Palermo.
Search for missing passengers resumes
The search for British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah, has resumed after the luxury yacht they were staying on sank after a tornado hit the vessel.
The pair are among six missing after the Bayesian was battered during intense storms off the coast of Palermo in the early hours of Monday.
The body of the yacht’s chef, named locally as Ricardo Thomas, was recovered from the water. The other crew members have all been accounted for.
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