British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and 18-year-old daughter among missing after yacht sinks off Sicily
Six people - including four British and two American citizens - remain missing after a sailboat capsized and sank off Sicily. Neil Connery reports as hope fades of finding any survivors.
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, are among six people missing after a yacht sank when a tornado struck off the coast of Sicily, the local emergency services have said.
Officials also confirmed the vessel's chef is among the four Britons and two Americans missing, with local media reporting his body had been found.
The 56-metre (184ft) superyacht, named Bayesian, capsized at about 5am off Palermo and was flying a British flag when a sudden fierce storm battered the area.
Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency said "they were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
One body had been recovered, and police divers were trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was resting at a depth of 50 metres (163 feet) off Porticello, near Palermo, where it had been anchored, rescue authorities said.
The boat had 22 people on board - a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers - the Italian coast guard said. Fifteen people were rescued, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares.
The rescue operation was continuing on Monday evening , with teams from Rome and London arriving in area to assist.
One of the survivors, a British tourist named Charlotte, told la Reppublica that she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, afloat to stop her from drowning.
She said: "I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.
"It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help, but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."
The Bayesian had one of the world’s tallest masts made of aluminum, which was lit up at night, just hours before it sank.
Lynch, 59, has recently been cleared of fraud charges by a US jury for the sale of his company Autonomy to HP in 2011.
News agency ANSA said the yacht had been moored in the port at Porticello and had set sail on Sunday evening.
The vessel had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, according to the Italian Coastguard.
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Fisherman Francesco Cefalu said he had seen a flare from shore at around 4.30am local time and immediately set out to the site, but by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk, with only cushions, wood and other items from the superyacht floating in the water.
He said he had been up so early to check the weather to see if he could go fishing, he surmised that the storm could have damaged the ship.
"It could be that the mast broke, or the anchor at the prow pulled it, I don't know," he said.
Speaking earlier on Monday, Filippo Tripoli, the mayor of Bagheria in Sicily, said: "This morning, off the coast of Santa Flavia, a foreign boat sank due to bad weather, 15 people recovered and seven missing.
"Already all the police forces and emergency services are operational and our Red Cross volunteers are present."
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: "We are providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Sicily, and are in contact with the local authorities."
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