Sicily yacht sinking: Why divers are struggling to rescue Bayesian's missing people
Words by Natasha Dangoor, ITV News Producer
A diver at the scene of Bayesian - the yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday - has said that the search for six people on board is “very complicated” because it is still intact.
The rescue search resumed on Tuesday after the luxury yacht sank due to intense storms. It is currently on the seabed at a depth of 50 metres.
"It is resting on its side on the starboard side. It has no gashes, no signs of impact," firefighter and diver Marco Tilotta said in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
This - as well as reports of many objects in the way - is making it extremely difficult for divers to enter the yacht.
Mr Tilotta said the situation is not dissimilar to a smaller-scale Costa Concordia - the cruise ship that sank off the coast of Isola del Giglio in 2012 with more than 4,000 passengers and crew on board.
Italy's fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco said that earlier inspections of the Bayesian wreck had been "unsuccessful" because of limited access to the bridge and furniture-obstructing passage.
It described the operation as “complex,” with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts, two of which must be spent going up and down.
"Our search and rescue activity by sea and air has gone on for around 36 hours,” Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard said.
“Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly,” he said, adding that “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.”
Stacey Foster explains how the weather is adding further complications to the rescue operation
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.
He saw only cushions, wood and other items from the superyacht floating in the water.
"It could be that the mast broke, or the anchor at the prow pulled it, I don't know," he said.
Pietro Asciutto, a fisher in Porticello, also watched the tragedy unfold. He said: “I was at home when the tornado hit. I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, and it was very big. I saw it suddenly sink.”
He added that shortly afterwards he went to the bay of Santa Nicolicchia. “The boat was still floating and then it suddenly disappeared. I saw it sink with my own eyes.”
A male body, believed to be that of the vessel's chef, has been discovered. However, British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and five others are yet to be found.
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