Logo

Rescue divers smashed through the windows of the sunken Bayesian on Tuesday, entering the hull — but were still unable to reach the ship’s cabins, where six missing passengers may be located.

The firefighter team managed to enter the body of the yacht after using jacks to break the 1¹/₄-inch-thick glass, Giornale Di Sicilia reported.

The rescuers reached the common areas of the 184-foot luxury vessel, but have not yet made it to the cabins — where British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and five others could be hiding out and clinging to air pockets, according to one expert.


  Divers entered the hull of the Bayesian in hopes of finding the six lost passengers. @vigilidelfuoco/X Divers entered the hull of the Bayesian in hopes of finding the six lost passengers. @vigilidelfuoco/X

  The firefighter team managed to enter the body of the yacht after using jacks to break the glass, Giornale Di Sicilia reported. IPA/INSTARimages The firefighter team managed to enter the body of the yacht after using jacks to break the glass, Giornale Di Sicilia reported. IPA/INSTARimages

The entrances to these cabins could be blocked, officials told Giornale Di Sicilia.

The search and rescue mission — made difficult because of the position of the yacht, which is resting 160 feet below the surface — could take hours.

Because of the depth, divers can only stay underwater for 12 minutes at a time.

The Italian coast guard previously said the passengers’ chances of survival are slim, but not impossible.

If there are survivors using pockets of trapped air inside the boat, they would only be able to continue living for another three days, experts said.

What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily:

  • A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing seven passengers.
  • British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was identified as one of the bodies pulled from the wreckage. His teenage daughter, Hannah, was the final one to be recovered.
  • Lynch — known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” — had invited guests from Clifford Chance, a legal firm that represented him, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage, according to the Telegraph
  • Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the Bayesian sank Monday shows it disappearing.
  • A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the Bayesian’s speedy demise, maritime experts say.

The Bayesian capsized with 22 people aboard off the port of Porticello, Sicily, after it was suddenly struck by a freak storm around sunrise Monday, officials said.

The boat was carrying a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers when it sank. Fifteen managed to escape before the superyacht went down.

The ship’s Canadian-born chef, Thomas Recaldo, marks the only confirmed death in the tragedy.


  A life raft is docked at the harbor of Porticello, southern Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. AP A life raft is docked at the harbor of Porticello, southern Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. AP

  Because of the depth, divers can only stay underwater for 12 minutes at a time. @vigilidelfuoco/X Because of the depth, divers can only stay underwater for 12 minutes at a time. @vigilidelfuoco/X

Officials believe Lynch — a 59-year-old billionaire known as the “British Bill Gates” — and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, are trapped in the wreckage.

Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife, Judy,  as well as top New York City lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Nina, are also among those still unaccounted for.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy