Divers have found four more bodies after a yacht capsized off the coast of Sicily, but they have yet to be identified. Now only two people are still missing.
On Wednesday 21 August 2024, Mr Salvatore Cucina, head of the civil protection office in the Italian region of Sicily, confirmed to the BBC that divers had found the bodies of the dead in the wreckage of a luxury yacht in the early hours of Monday. This morning, four more bodies were found inside a submerged boat at a depth of about 50 metres.
Officials were able to bring the four bodies back to shore. However, no details have been released about the identities of the four victims, with the BBC reporting that one of them was a man.
The yacht “Baisian” was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members before it encountered severe weather conditions that caused a storm in the early hours of Monday. The boat capsized and after the accident, 15 crew members were helped. Including the mother and her one-year-old daughter.
Divers have so far found one body in the sea near the wreck in the early days of the search, believed to be that of Ricaldo Thomas, a Canadian and Antiguan citizen.
While there are six people missing, including Mr. Mike Lynch, the famous British IT tycoon, aged 59, founder of Autonomy, Mrs. Hannah Lynch, Mr. Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Morgan Stanley International Bank Chairman Jonathan Plumer and his wife Judy Plumer
The other two are Chris Morvillo of Clifford Chance, who helped Mr Lynch fight the US fraud case against Ms Nida Murphy, and his wife, Lou, a jewellery designer.
The Italian Coast Guard continues its search for the missing person. Both by sea and by air, using a helicopter to survey a wide area of water while using a remote control to search under the sea.
Authorities believe most, if not all, of those killed were probably inside the boat. The boat capsized so quickly that they did not have enough time to escape.
But divers were having difficulty searching inside the hull. Because the ship sank at a 90-degree angle, furniture was scattered inside and blocked the path. Not only that, the ship was still 50 meters deep, giving them only 10 minutes to search before they had to surface. To prevent water from getting trapped.