Italy yacht rescuers find sixth body as manhunt probe launched by police

Italian rescue divers have found the body believed to be of Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter

REUTERS
Dan Falvey

By Dan Falvey


Published: 23/08/2024

- 13:09

More details on the police investigation are set to be released tomorrow

Italian rescue divers have found the body believed to be of Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter in the wreckage of the Bayesian superyacht off Sicily's coast.

The discovery means the sixth and final missing person from the ill-fated vessel has now been accounted for.


Salvatore Cocina, head of Sicily's civil protection agency, confirmed that work to retrieve the body was "in progress".

The tragic find comes as Italian authorities launch a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of the £40million yacht.

Italian rescue divers have found the body believed to be of Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter REUTERS

Fifteen survivors, among them Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, were rescued by emergency crews following a freak weather event earlier this week.

The Prosecutor's Office of Termini Imerese is spearheading the inquiry to determine exactly what happened, according to a source close to the prosecution team.

Led by Ambrogio Cartosio, investigators are examining potential offences of "shipwreck and multiple counts of culpable homicide against an unknown person".

The charges are similar to manslaughter in the UK legal system.

Italian searchThe 184ft-yacht sunk in the early hours of Monday following a storm off the coast of SicilyPA
Bayesian CCTV footageEerie CCTV footage shows how the superyacht slipped out of sight in a matter of secondsReuters

The probe aims to uncover why the luxury yacht capsized off Porticello's coast at approximately 5am on Monday.

A press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning is expected to reveal more details about the investigation.

Maritime experts have expressed disbelief at the sinking of the Bayesian.

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group which built the yacht, described the tragedy as "unbelievable".

Mike Lynch

Mike Lynch was holding a celebration on the yacht for his recent acquittal in the US

Reuters

He stated to Sky News that sailing ships are typically "unsinkable".

Costantino highlighted the yacht's second-tallest aluminium mast in the world as a safety feature.

However, he suggested that open doors during the storm could have allowed water ingress.

The Bayesian's sinking occurred during a celebratory voyage following Lynch's acquittal in a fraud case in San Francisco.

The incident unfolded in stormy weather near Palermo, Italy, catching the 22 passengers and crew off guard.

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