Divers Pull 4 Bodies from Superyacht Wreckage as Expert Blames ‘Black Swan Event’ for Disaster
The superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, during a storm that included a waterspout, resulting in the recovery of five bodies. Four of the bodies have been retrieved from the wreckage, while the fifth has been located but remains submerged. One victim, the ship’s chef, was identified, but six others, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, are still missing. Rescuers saved fifteen survivors who escaped in a lifeboat. The adverse weather conditions, unusual for the northern Mediterranean, and the rapid formation of the waterspout may have contributed to the tragedy. Authorities are awaiting the recovery of all bodies before beginning the identification process for family members.
Five bodies have been located from the wreck of the superyacht Bayesian.
According to the BBC, four bodies had been taken from the wreckage; a fifth had been located but not yet brought to the surface. One victim has not yet been found.
The Bayesian sank Monday off the coast of Porticello, Sicily, according to NPR.
Fifteen people escaped in a lifeboat and were rescued by a sailboat. One body was recovered Monday — the ship’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, of Antigua.
Six other passengers had been missing, including Mike Lynch, a British technology entrepreneur, his 18-year-old daughter and allies who defended Lynch in a U.S. fraud trial in which he had been acquitted.
According to the BBC, officials have not identified the bodies that were recovered. The British outlet said it believes Italian authorities are waiting for all the bodies to be recovered before starting the legal process of having a family member identify those who were killed.
The ship sank during a Monday storm in which a waterspout appeared on the water, according to USA Today.
Matthew Schanck, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, said the factors the resulted in the tragedy amounted to a “black swan event.”
The bad weather was unusual for the northern Mediterranean, “which isn’t renowned for prolonged, significant stormy weather,” he said.
“The fact that those two elements have then resulted in the foundering of a super yacht is pretty extraordinary. These things don’t happen every day,” he said.
A water spout – a tornado that forms over water – could have been triggered by the unusual warmth of the water, according to Rick Shema, a certified consulting meteorologist who served in the Navy.
“The water spout was an uncommon occurrence,” he said. “But again, these things happen, especially in warmer water.”
“Hurricanes can form at 80 degrees,” he told USA Today, noting that the day the yacht sunk “was almost four degrees higher than that.”
“A water spout is a vortex, basically like a tornado, spinning real fast, sucking up water and moisture as the column rises,” the meteorologist continued, noting that winds of up to 120 mph, which a waterspout can pack, “would heel the boat over for sure.”
Few days ago we encountered the exquisite Bayesian vessel,anchored near us. All night until sunrise we took plenty of picts of it. The 75-meter mast illuminated at night was spectacular. We speculated about the individuals on board,enjoying the time of their lives. What a tragedy pic.twitter.com/OqYIwaV1vb
— Khorakhane 🍉 (@Khorakhane100) August 19, 2024
Water spouts form quickly, and in the pre-dawn hours, might not have been seen until it was too late, he added.
“The visibility was probably a big factor,” Shema said.
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