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Femi Otedola: Billionaire Dines with Family in Luxurious Yacht Rented for KSh 688.9m on His Birthday

• Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola spent his birthday in a luxurious Aristotle Onassis' Christina super yacht
• The businessman and his family boarded the yacht, and they had a lovely time before his big day
• Otedola shared photos of his wife Nana, DJ Cuppy and her siblings, as well as Temi's fiancé, singer Mr Eazi

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Nigerian billionaire oil mogul Femi Otedola is set to make history with his 60th birthday party on November 4.

Otedola set the internet on fire by reportedly splurging over KSh 688.9 million to rent Aristotle Onassis' Christina O super luxury yacht that will sail for three weeks on the Mediterranean Sea.

Femi Otedola birthday

Counting down to his big celebration, Otedola took to his Instagram account, posting several photos showing off moments with his family .

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DJ Cuppy, Temi and her fiancé Mr Eazi, Tolani and their brother Fewa were all sighted on the table.

Otedola's wife, Nana, was also sighted, enjoying herself as the entire family dined and wined.

The businessman used the opportunity to show off views and the yacht's interior he had spent billions on.

"Welcome Aboard the Christina! Are you ready for #FO60 …F.Ote" he captioned the photo.

The post enlisted mixed reactions from Instagram users, some encouraging people to work hard and enjoy life.

Below are some of the sampled comments;

klalaphotography:

"Age gracefully sir ...."

mc_akinola:

"People will say money is not everything. We know, but poverty too is not everything. Money is good..."

raymilliuniverse_:

"Tell yourself I will never be poor. But remember, you need to work smart."

hussaini_john_fashanu:

"May thunder fire poverty. Money is good ️. Happy birthday my mentor himself ..."

Grandma spotted betting in Matatu

Meanwhile, an old woman was recently spotted betting in a public service vehicle .

"True Love": Groom Carries Bride, Maid of Honour on Boda Boda on Wedding Day

The display on her screen revealed that she had lost all her money playing Aviator, which attracted a lot of sympathies.

The image shared sparked debate among social media users, with some wondering who introduced the woman to the game .

They blamed the current economic hardship experienced across the world that has seen many people engage in all sorts of activities to raise money.

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Femi Otedola rents yacht off French Riviera for an estimated $3 million to celebrate diamond jubilee

Odetola is celebrating in grand style on the french riviera in a 99.13-meter-long yacht.

Femi Otedola, Founder of Zenon Petroleum

Femi Otedola, billionaire energy tycoon and one of the richest men in Nigeria, turns 60 today and is celebrating it in grand style on the French Riviera in a 99.13-meter-long Yacht, Christina O, formerly owned by the late Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis.

For Otedola, celebrating in the luxury Yacht is a dream come through because Onasis has been his mentor from when he was just 13, he revealed to Nairametrics.

There lies the symbolism of the billionaire’s cruise on the storied Yacht said to have been purchased by Onasis in 1954 for $34,000.

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The Christina O Yacht: The famous Yacht, Christina O, is a private motor yacht that originally belonged to millionaire Greek shipowner Aristotle Onassis, who purchased it in 1954 for $34,000. During the late 1950s, he hosted star-studded parties on board after lengthy and costly restorations. She is the 59th largest yacht in the world as of 2022, measuring 99.13 meters in length.

The yacht is luxury redefined, as it boasts of alfresco dining and bar, chaise loungers, a spacious promenade deck with an aft spa pool, the main deck, a swimming pool, Minoan bull and vaulter mosaic, and a dance floor. 2,250,000 Otedola rented the yacht for three and a half weeks for €750,000 ($745,000) per week, including taxes and fees, for a total cost of about $3 million.

Otedola was inspired to rent the yacht because he had viewed Aristotle Onassis as a role model since his teenage years and even held a vast collection of Aristotle Onassis memorabilia such as books, movies, and documentaries.

The yacht has hosted famous guests such as former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt.

About Femi Otedola: On November 4, 1962, in Ibadan, Femi Otedola was born into the family of the late Sir Michael Otedola, who served as governor of Lagos State from 1992 to 1993. Femi Otedola led an audacious takeover of the former African Petroleum, in what later became Forte Oil Plc. That company has Femi Otedola is a former chairman of Forte Oil Plc. Now Adrova Plc and a businessman. In addition, he founded Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd. and other companies in the maritime, real estate, and financial sectors.

Business interests:  He founded Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, a marketing and distribution business for petroleum products, in 2003. In 2004, he invested N15 billion in the construction of downstream infrastructure as the owner and chairman of Zenon and purchased a storage depot.

By 2005, Zenon held a significant portion of the Nigerian diesel market and supplied fuel to majority of the nation’s largest manufacturers, which include Dangote Group, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, etc.

Otedola was appointed chairman and CEO of Africa Petroleum in 2007, after purchasing a controlling interest in the company. In 2010, the name was changed to Forte Oil, and in 2020, Adrova Plc.

Personal worth: With an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion, Otedola joined Aliko Dangote as the second Nigerian to be listed on the Forbes list of dollar-denominated billionaires in March 2009. The billionaire also founded CentreForce Ltd. in 1994, with a focus on trading, investing, and finance. Additionally, the Swift Insurance Company was founded.

Otedola is the chief executive and president of SeaForce Shipping Company Ltd., where he got the title of Nigeria’s largest ship owner. He was made a non-executive director of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc Transcorp) in January 2006. Transcorp is a multi-sector conglomerate founded in 2004 by former president Olusegun Obasanjo to take advantage of market opportunities that required significant capital investment in Nigeria and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Otedola has made several real estate deals, notably Zenon’s N2.3 billion purchase of Stallion House in Lagos in February 2007.

He has served as a member of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) since 2004 and was appointed to join Nigeria’s National Economic Management Teamkn 2011. In October 2021, he was declared the largest single shareholder (5.07%) of First bank PLC

His latest investment is in Geregu Power Plc, one of Nigeria’s major power generation companies (Genco).

Family: Femi Otdeola is married to Nana Otedola and has four children – Tolani, Florence Ifeoluwa aka DJ Cuppy, Elizabeth Temi, and Fewa.

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Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola celebrates 60th birthday on $750,000-a-week yacht owned by Aristotle Onassis

Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola is celebrating his 60th birthday on the French Riviera aboard the 99.13-meter-long Christina O Yacht, once owned by the late Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

Otedola’s daughter, Ifeoluwa, who goes by the moniker “DJ Cuppy” posted videos on her Instagram page on Wednesday showing the energy tycoon, his wife, and children celebrating at a private, intimate soiree off the Italy coast on the yacht, which has a rich history and has hosted some of the world’s most historic figures.

Femi Otedola is paying a pretty penny for chartering the yacht — an estimated $3 million. According to private sources who spoke to Billionaires.Africa, Otedola is renting the vessel for three and a half weeks at a cost of €750,000 ($745,000) per week plus extra taxes and handling fees, bringing the total expenses to €3 million ($2.97 million). He also bought out an earlier charterer for the right to use the yacht during his birthday week.

Plying the seas first as a World War II Canadian frigate and then as a private luxury vessel starting in 1954, the Christina O is a piece of floating history. Aristotle Onassis purchased the vessel in 1954 and named it after his daughter Christina. When Onassis married Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, widow of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1968, the couple held their reception on the Christina O. The yacht would go on to host such famous guests as former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, Jr.

With a line of chaise loungers, an alfresco dining and bar setup, a spacious promenade deck with an aft spa pool, and an impressive main deck, where the Onassis’ swimming pool sits with its renowned Minoan bull and vaulter mosaic alongside a dance floor, Christina O offers a plethora of options for lounging and socializing.

For Otedola, chartering the Christina O to commemorate his diamond jubilee is symbolic. In a past interview with Forbes magazine, Otedola revealed that the late Greek shipping tycoon had been his role model since he was 13. Otedola is also known to possess a large collection of Aristotle Onassis memorabilia such as books, movies, and documentaries at his homes in Nigeria, London, Dubai, Monte Carlo, and London. In modeling parts of his life after Onassis, in 2001 – at the age of 39, Otedola founded Seaforce Shipping Company Limited and built it into Nigeria’s largest indigenous shipping company. Between 2001 and 2007, Otedola was the largest private shipowner in Nigeria, owning a tanker fleet that included Mt. Sir Michael (named after his father), Mt. Lady Doja (named after his mother), Mt. Nana (named after his wife) and Mt. Zenon Conquest. He also served as the President of Nigeria Chambers of Shipping./

Otedola has since divested from his interests in the shipping business and is now channeling his energies towards fixing Nigeria’s electricity deficit. Today, he is the chairman of Geregu Power PLC, a power-generating company that made history in the month of October by being the first electricity generating company to list on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Geregu Power has three STG5-2000E gas turbine generator units with a 435 MW installed capacity, and the company has been shortlisted by the Nigerian government to acquire a second plant currently owned by the government with a generating capacity of 729 MW. Otedola owns a 95-percent stake in the $650-million (market cap) company. He also owns an estimated six-percent stake in FBN Holdings, one of Nigeria’s largest financial services groups.

Aristotle Onassis also largely shaped Otedola’s outlook on philanthropy. The Greek businessman, who left instructions in his handwritten will for the establishment of a charitable foundation in memory of his son – the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation – also inspired Otedola in his charitable givings. Otedola, one of Nigeria’s most generous philanthropists, has given away more money to philanthropic causes than any other Nigerian billionaire, except Aliko Dangote, over the last twenty years. In November 2019, during an event in Abuja that was graced by Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo , Femi Otedola donated a record NGN 5 billion – roughly $14 million at the time – to Save the Children, a UK non-governmental organization. The funds have gone a long way towards improving the lives of destitute children who have victims of a lingering humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast region. In November last year, he was invited by Save the Children to join the prestigious group as the organisation’s vice president, in recognition of his philanthropic efforts to better the lives of children in Nigeria. In 2020, he also donated $2.27 million toward COVID-19 relief efforts and last year he built and donated a $4.7 million complex to the Engineering department of Lagos-based Augustine University. He is also the Chancellor of Augustine University, and has sponsored scholarships for Nigerian students for two decades.

In 2019 when local media inquired about his motivation for donating the NGN 5 billion to Save the Children U.K, Otedola said : “In my life, in my journey, I have taken the risk, I have done the chase, I have enjoyed the thrill, I have achieved success and recognition. What next? You give it back. A lot of people think when they die they’ll take their money with them. We’ll see.”

Otedola has also gained acclaim for funding the exorbitant medical bills of some of Nigeria’s most prominent personalities. In 2019 he paid over $50,000 for the treatment of former Super Eagles captain and coach Christian Chukwu in London. Otedola also paid over €130,000 to save star actor Victor Olaotan at a hospital in Turkey, and footed the bills of Reggae super star Majek Fashek when he was battling neck and throat cancer at a London hospital. Other people who have benefited from Otedola’s generosity in a similar regard include Super Eagles former goal keeper Peter Fregene, award-winning actor Sadiq Daba, Professor Ini Ebong and celebrated romance writer Kayode Ajala among many others. On various occasions, some of the recipients of Otedola’s generosity were unable to reach him to thank him for his generosity and thereby opted to make videos which they put up in the public domain with the hopes that he would see them.

Born on Nov. 4, 1962 to the family of Sir Michael Otedola, one-time governor of Lagos State, Femi Otedola worked for his father’s Impact printing press in the early nineties and then went on to establish Centerforce Limited, a finance and investment company.

In 1999, he founded Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited, an indigenous company that engaged in the procurement, storage, marketing, and distribution of petroleum products. At some point, Zenon Petroleum controlled more than 90% of the diesel supply business in Nigeria for nine years. In 2007, he acquired a controlling stake in the government-owned African Petroleum Plc which operated gas stations across the country. He grew the company into one of the largest publicly-traded downstream oil companies in Sub-Saharan Africa at the time. At some point, he was also one of the largest private owners of real estate in the swanky Victoria Island and Ikoyi neighborhoods in Lagos and owned some of the most prestigious commercial landmark properties in Abuja.

In 2008, his stake in African Petroleum was worth over $1.2 billion, and that same year, he became the second Nigerian, after Aliko Dangote, to be included in Forbes magazine’s annual ranking of the world’s billionaires. At 46, he was the youngest African billionaire on the Forbes list at the time. Otedola subsequently renamed his company Forte Oil (FO) to match his name, and in 2013, he led the company to acquire a 414-gigawatt power-generating plant from the Nigerian government during a government-led privatization round. In 2018, he unbundled the power assets of Forte Oil and created a separate company, Geregu Power, which he controls today. That same year, he sold off Forte Oil’s downstream businesses for hundreds of millions of dollars to a leading oil distribution firm in Nigeria.

At 60, Femi Otedola is one of Nigeria’s most influential power players. In 2010, he played a crucial role in encouraging the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to assume the presidency when President Umaru Yar’Adua became incapacitated. He still remains one of the more colorful personalities in Nigerian business and social circles. And that popularity spills into social media. In 2020, he ‘broke the internet’ in Nigerian media when his daughter, DJ Cuppy, announced that he had purchased a Ferrari Portofino for each of his three daughters. With 1.4 million followers on Instagram, Otedola is social media royalty in Nigeria, and he gives quite a show: From a video where he is dancing with his daughters , to another where he is dancing with his wife during her birthday celebrations in London, to a picture where he is hosting his daughter and her fiance at his Dubai villa – and yet another where he is just chilling in Monte Carlo, where he also has a home – every single post he makes on Instagram goes viral and generates buzz in Nigerian media circles, and gets Nigerians young and old, longing for the good life.

Like the late Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola was a mega-player in global shopping. These were some of the tankers that he owned and operated:

Omokolade Ajayi

Omokolade Ajayi is a financial reporter at Billionaires.Africa. Previously, he worked as a journalist at Nairametrics. Omokolade is a seasoned financial analyst and reporter with in-depth knowledge of and expertise in equity markets, and financial and economic analysis. He has a degree in economics and is a certificate holder of the CFA Institute’s Investment Foundation Program.

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Otedola Celebrates 60th Birthday With 3-wk Super Yacht Trip Around The World + Photos

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Otedola celebrates 60th birthday inside Aristotle’s yacht for N2b

Business mogul, Femi Otedola, has spent about €3 million, which is over N2.2 billion, to rent Aristotle Onassis Christina O super luxury yacht to celebrate his 60th birthday.

The details was unearthed just days ahead of the birthday of the billionaire businessman holding Friday on November 4.

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Otedola who is the Chairman of Geregu Power Company rented the super yacht belonging to one of his childhood idols and late Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, who was once regarded as the richest man in the world.

Otedola reportedly rented the yacht to celebrate his 60th birthday with his family and friends.

The yacht will sail for three

Billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, has spent about €3 million, which is over N2.2 billion, to rent Aristotle Onassis Christina O super luxury yacht ahead of his 60th birthday.

The fact was unearthed just days ahead of the birthday of the billionaire businessman holding on November 4.

The yacht will sail for three weeks around the Mediterranean Sea with 37 crew members on board.

Otedola was filmed entering the yacht with his family and son-in-law to be, singer Mr Eazi on Wednesday afternoon.

Source:Eagle online

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VIDEO: Otedola charters N1.4bn super yacht to mark 60th birthday

Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Femi Otedola has splashed about N1.4bn to rent a yacht. The oil magnate whose 60th birthday is on November 4 has…

Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Femi Otedola has splashed about N1.4bn to rent a yacht.

The oil magnate whose 60th birthday is on November 4 has decided to celebrate it in a fanciful and expensive way.

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In a viral video, Otedola was spotted with his family and his son-in-law, Mr Eazi, greeting the crew members of a super luxury yacht popularly known as Christiana O, owned by Aristotle Onassis.

According to reports, the rented yacht would be sailing for three weeks with the billionaire alongside his family and friends.

The super yacht, which happens to be the biggest in the world, belongs to one of Otedola’s childhood friends, the late Greek shipping tycoon, Aristotle Onassis, who was once regarded as the richest man in the world.

Otedola is one of the richest men in Nigeria whose wealth comes from the importation of oil. He is also the founder of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, and the owner of several other businesses across shipping, real estate, and finance.

According to an online report, as of January 2022, it costs €620,000 (about N470 million) to charter the yacht for a week, including tax.

Christina O offers a luxury voyage. Its 38 crew members include two spa therapists. The ship has hosted great presidents and ministers such as John Kennedy and Sir Winston Churchill, as well as celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra.

See the video below:

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• Aristotle Onassis
• Femi Otedola

Did Bayesian superyacht’s 237ft mast cause it to sink?

B ayesian’s 237ft metal mast may have played a part in the sinking of the superyacht off the coast of Sicily , experts have suggested.

The yacht, named after the mathematical theory Mike Lynch used to make his millions in the tech industry, foundered in the small hours of Monday morning.

Key among potential reasons for the loss of the vessel will be its most striking feature – the aluminium mast.

Four British personnel from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch are on their way to Palermo to carry out a preliminary assessment.

There are also theories that hot overnight temperatures of 27C (80C) could have prompted passengers to leave portholes and windows open – hastening the sinking when the high winds hit.

Launched in 2008 by Perini Navi, Bayesian is one of the 50 largest sailing yachts in the world and her mammoth mast supported a total sail area of almost 32,000 sq ft.

Bayesian had the tallest aluminium mast in the world when it first took to the seas under her former name Salute. The record was overtaken last year when Jeff Bezos, the Amazon billionaire launched his yacht, Koru.

Koru’s masts stretch to 278ft tall according to Boat International magazine.

Tom Sharpe, a former Royal Navy commander and warship captain, said initial reports from survivors and witnesses suggested “that the weather was sufficiently violent to cause her to capsize at anchor”.

Weather reports from Palermo airport, 12 miles west of the yacht, suggest that at about 4am, winds switched from a gentle south-westerly breeze to gusts of 40mph, with temperatures dropping.

Local newspapers have described the weather as a tornado and a waterspout, which is a tornado above water.

The pressure of high winds on the mast could have helped tip the boat over in rough seas, experts have suggested.

Mr Sharpe said capsizing seemed “unlikely” to him given the Bayesian’s size “and that boats like that are designed to survive poor weather – unless something failed at the same time like a valve that let water in and made the whole boat unstable”.

He said it was more likely that the Bayesian had “dragged anchor”. Anchors are designed to lodge on rocks on the seabed, but if the seabed is too soft, or weather is so bad that the anchor is dislodged, then a boat can drag its anchor and drift.

If a boat drifts into an obstruction such as a rock or another boat, this can damage the boat by tearing a hole in its side leading to sinking, Mr Sharpe suggested.

The sea bed off Porticello, the Silician harbour nearest to where Bayesian was moored for the night, consists of a mixture of rocky and muddy areas, according to nautical charts reviewed by The Telegraph.

This means the yacht could have dragged anchor if it had been lowered into a soft, muddy patch of seabed.

A captain of another boat anchored nearby said his vessel was hit by abnormally strong winds on Monday morning.

Karsten Borner said the Sir Robert BP was battered by strong gusts in the early hours of the morning but he managed to stabilise the vessel while anchored by using the engine.

He said as they were doing this, they noticed the Bayesian nearby and manoeuvred to avoid hitting it.

“We managed to keep the ship in position, and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” said Capt Borner.

Mr Sharpe said: “From a seamanship point of view, the other boat (Sir Robert BP) coming up on her main engines and using those to keep position around [her own] anchor is what you should do. Yacht anchors are often not that robust and that is the best way to avoid putting too much strain on it and/or dragging.”

An alternative theory is that the weight of the mast led the Bayesian to capsize.

A yacht industry source told The Times that the vessel sank after the weight of her mast took the hull beyond its “down-flooding angle” – the point at which a boat cannot right itself after swinging at a steep angle – meaning water rushed over the sides into the interior.

“The wind toppled the mast, which fell over the side, causing the boat to heel over and take on water, capsize and sink very quickly,” the source said.

This can occur whether the mast snapped off or not.

Sam Jefferson, editor of Sailing Today, told The Telegraph: “She has a very tall, aluminium mast – I believe it is the second tallest aluminium mast in the world – and that would not have helped.

“Many yachts with big masts have carbon masts instead of aluminium as these save on weight and improve stability and performance.

“Stability was obviously the problem in the extremely strong winds she was experiencing and I’d assume the boat was pinned on its side and could not right before it filled up with water.”

Another superyacht expert who asked not to be named told The Telegraph that the mast could have pulled the Bayesian over into capsizing, although he expressed some scepticism, saying sailing yachts are designed to prevent that from happening.

He said the anchor-dragging theory was also a plausible explanation for why the Bayesian sank.

Typically, crews try to anchor in safe spots that are sheltered away from the wind, they said.

The Bayesian was moored just off Porticello, a few miles east of Palermo. Prevailing winds from the north-east may have robbed the vessel of the shelter offered by the Sicilian coast, which lay to the west.

Dr Lynch was reportedly aboard the vessel. His wife, Angela Bacares, is among those rescued but six others, including four Britons, are still missing.

One person, reportedly the yacht’s chef, died in the incident and his body was recovered by rescuers.

The Bayesian’s last refit was in 2020.

The vessel was listed for rent for up to €195,000 (£166,000) a week, according to online charter websites.

The interior featured six cabins – one master, three doubles and two twin rooms – for up to a dozen guests, with the crew occupying separate quarters.

Fitted out in a Japanese style, the interior was styled by the Remi Tessler design house.

Under her former name Salute, the yacht won the Best Exterior prize at the World Superyacht Awards in 2009, and the Best Interior at the International Superyacht Society Awards in 2008.

A coastguard statement issued on Monday morning said the missing passengers were of “British, American and Canadian nationality”.

Camper & Nicholsons, managers of the Bayesian, confirmed the vessel sank at about 4.30am following “severe weather”.

The Italian Coast Guard is leading search and rescue operations, and said on Monday it had safely recovered 15 individuals.

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Watch CBS News

Luxury yacht sinks off Sicily, leaving U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch, 2 Americans among those missing

By Anna Matranga

Updated on: August 20, 2024 / 7:47 PM EDT / CBS News

Rome  — Six people, including two U.S. nationals, a British technology entrepreneur and one of his daughters, were still missing Tuesday after a large luxury sailing yacht sank off the coast of the southern Italian island of Sicily during a violent storm. The 184-foot Bayesian had been anchored about half a mile off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, with 22 people on board — 10 crew members and 12 passengers.

The vessel sank at about 5 a.m. local time (11 p.m. Eastern, Sunday) after being hit by a possible waterspout spawned by the storm. Italian media said the winds snapped the boat's single mast, unbalancing the vessel and causing it to capsize.

Fifteen of those on board managed to escape the yacht and were rescued by a Dutch-flagged vessel that was anchored in the immediate vicinity. They were brought ashore by Italian Coast Guard and firefighters.

One body — an unidentified male — was recovered, but six people remained missing, including British software magnate Mike Lynch, once described as Britain's Bill Gates. 

Lynch was acquitted in June of fraud charges in the U.S. that could have landed him with a decades-long prison sentence. In an unusual twist, Lynch's co-defendant in that fraud case, who was also acquitted, died Saturday after being hit by a car while out jogging in England.

Lynch's teenage daughter Hannah was also among those missing, along with Lynch's American lawyer Chris Morvillo, a former assistant district attorney in New York, and his wife Neda. British banker Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, was also still missing Tuesday.

Among the survivors was a 1-year-old British girl who was being treated at a nearby hospital along with her parents. They were doing well, according to Italian media.

"For two seconds I lost my child to the sea, then I immediately was able to grab her again in the fury of the waves," the girl's mother, identified only as Charlotte, was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency. "I held on to her tightly in the stormy sea. Many were screaming. Luckily the life raft opened up and 11 of us managed to get aboard."

"It was terrible," she told ANSA. "In just a few minutes the boat was hit by a very strong wind, and sunk soon thereafter."

Karsten Borner, the captain of the Dutch vessel that came to the rescue, told ANSA he had been anchored near the Bayesian.

"When the storm was over we noticed that the ship behind us was gone, and then we saw a red flare, so my first mate and I went to the position and we found this life raft drifting, and in the life raft was also a little baby and the wife of the owner."

Recovery efforts were back underway Tuesday, with speedboats, helicopters and divers continuing to search for the missing — as well as for answers, as to how a state-of-the-art superyacht could disappear in a flash. 

According to Italian media, Fire Brigade divers reached the boat and saw bodies trapped inside some of the cabins, but they had been unable to recover any of the victims from inside the vessel by Tuesday, due to obstructions. The Bayesian appeared to have sunk in an area with a depth of about 160 feet.

Witnesses said the boat sank quickly. 

"I was at home when the tornado hit," fisherman Pietro Asciutto told a local news outlet. "I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very large. I suddenly saw it sink... The boat was still floating, then suddenly it disappeared. I saw it sink with my own eyes."

The director-general of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, confirmed to CBS News partner BBC News  that three of the six people still missing Monday were British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, whose company Autonomy Corporation PLC was acquired in 2011 by HP ; one of his daughters, Hannah Lynch, who is believed to be 18; and the boat's chef, Ricardo Thomas.

CBS News has seen corporate documentation showing a company called Revtom, solely owned by Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who was among those rescued from the accident, as the owner of the yacht that capsized off Sicily. 

While the yacht was a privately owned pleasure boat, the waters around the island have claimed many lives over the last decade.

Dozens of migrants have died attempting to reach Sicily and smaller Italian islands in the region. Sicily sits only about 100 miles from the east coast of Tunisia in north Africa, and the Mediterranean crossing has been a frequent site of both nautical rescues and disasters as smugglers routinely send small boats overloaded with desperate people into the sea.

Alex Sundby , Joanne Stocker and Chris Livesay contributed to this report.

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How sinking of luxury yacht off Sicily unfolded

One man has died and six people are missing after a luxury yacht sank in freak weather conditions off the coast of Sicily.

The 56m British-flagged Bayesian was carrying 22 people - 12 passengers and 10 crew - when a heavy storm that created waterspouts struck early on Monday.

Fifteen people were rescued and a search operation for those unaccounted for - who include the British tech tycoon Mike Lynch - is continuing.

Here is what we know about the tragedy so far and how it unfolded.

What happened to the yacht?

The Bayesian was struck by a sudden and powerful storm in the early hours of Monday morning, witnesses say.

It was reportedly anchored to the sea bed outside the harbour at Porticello, a small fishing village to the east of Palermo, when what the Italian coastguard described as a "violent storm" hit.

The storm was so fierce that it caused waterspouts, or rotating columns of air and mist, to appear over the sea.

The vessel disappeared beneath the water at about 05:00 local time (04:00 BST).

A doctor treating survivors said the ship "capsized within a few minutes".

• Follow live updates here
• 'For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea' - yacht survivor
• Who are the missing and rescued?
• What might have caused yacht to sink
• Divers battle 10-minute dive window and debris in yacht search

Witnesses told Italian news agency Ansa that the Bayesian’s anchor was down when the storm struck, causing the 72m (236ft) aluminium mast to break in half and the ship to lose its balance and sink.

However, divers on the search and rescue team have said the ship was "practically intact" on the seabed, raising questions as to whether the mast was broken.

The ship's unusually tall mast may have contributed to its sinking, according to Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the mast acted almost like a sail in the strong wind "especially with it being so high".

The extreme winds could have caught the mast and pushed the yacht over, he said.

Karsten Borner, captain of a nearby boat, said after the storm had passed, the crew noticed the yacht that had been behind them had disappeared.

"We saw a red flare, so my first mate and I went to the position, and we found this life raft drifting," he told Reuters.

His crew took on board some survivors, including three who were seriously injured.

Another witness, Fabio Cefalù, captain of a trawler, said he was about to go out on a fishing trip when he saw flashes of lightning so he stayed in the harbour.

"At about 04:15 we saw a flare in the sea," he said, according to the EVN news agency reports.

"We waited for this waterspout to pass. After 10 minutes we went out to the sea and we saw cushions and all the rest of the boat [that had sunk], and everything which was on the deck, at sea. However, we did not see any people in the sea.”

Another fisherman described seeing the yacht sinking "with my own eyes".

Speaking to the newspaper Giornale di Sicilia, the witness said he was at home when the tornado hit.

"Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very big," he said.

Shortly afterwards he went down to the Santa Nicolicchia bay in Porticello to get a better look at what was happening.

He added: "The boat was still floating, then all of a sudden it disappeared. I saw it sinking with my own eyes."

One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Golunski, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica how she held up her one-year-old daughter Sofia to stop her from drowning.

She said the two of them and her partner James survived only because they were up on deck when the yacht sank.

They were woken by “thunder, lightning and waves that made our boat dance”, and it felt like "the end of the world" before they were thrown into the water.

Charlotte said: "For two seconds I lost my daughter in the sea, then quickly hugged her amid the fury of the waves."

She added: "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."

What is the latest with the search?

Six passengers remain missing and the Palermo coastguard says the search and rescue operation is continuing "incessantly".

The search began on Monday and specialist divers have been working at the site since early on Tuesday morning.

One diver told Italian media the yacht was "practically intact" on its side at the ocean's basin, about 50m below the surface.

The ship's hull is obstructed with furniture and various objects, the Italian fire and rescue service has said.

Divers are looking for ways to access the yacht's cabins, but they have just 10 minutes to search on each dive before they need to return to the surface, the Italian news agency Ansa has reported.

A 1cm thick glass window is also being considered as an entry point.

Francesco Venuto, a spokesperson for Sicily's civil protection agency, told the BBC on Monday rescue teams fear the bodies of those missing "must be" in the boat.

"We've been searching all day with helicopters and boats, we've found nothing. That wouldn't make sense. In these conditions, we should have found something by now," he added.

A specialist caving search and rescue diving team arrived from Rome on Monday, hoping to "achieve results" either during the night or by Tuesday morning at the latest, the director general of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, said.

On Monday, the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch sent a team of four investigators to carry out a preliminary assessment of the Bayesian's sinking, the BBC understands.

Who was on board?

There were 22 people on board when the storm hit, including 12 passengers and 10 crew.

The body of one man has been recovered. He has not been formally identified, but the Palermo coastguard said he was the ship's cook. His nationality has not been confirmed.

Among the six people still missing is 59-year-old tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, known by some as the "British Bill Gates".

Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was awarded an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006.

In June, he was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to an $11bn (£8.64bn) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

Afterwards, he told the BBC in an interview he had been able to prove his innocence only because he had the wealth to pay the enormous legal fees required.

The other missing people include Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo.

Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares is among the 15 people to have been rescued, with eight of those receiving treatment in hospital, the Italian coastguard said.

Charlotte Golunski, her husband and daughter Sofia were also rescued and were unharmed, but taken to hospital for check-ups.

She said they had been on the yacht with a group of colleagues.

The daily Il Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported the vessel had mostly British passengers on board, but also people from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland and British-French citizens.

A doctor based in Palermo said the "very tired" survivors were "constantly asking about the missing people".

Dr Domenico Cipolla told Reuters that one woman he treated described the trip as a "corporate holiday", with some of those on board "very young".

"There were a lot of work colleagues, friends, a few husbands, wives, or a couple of friends who had joined in," he adds.

What is a waterspout and why do they form?

A waterspout is similar to a tornado and can form over oceans, seas or large lakes.

The western half of the Mediterranean has experienced severe storms since the middle of last week.

Through Sunday night and into Monday morning, a zone of bad weather passed by the north coast of Sicily.

BBC Weather forecaster Matt Taylor said: "A waterspout is a tornado that has occurred over water rather than land.

"They can form during intense storms, on the base of cumulonimbus/thunder clouds.

"Turbulence, and the wind blowing in slightly different directions around the cloud, can cause rotation under the base of the cloud and the spout to form.

"Like tornadoes, they bring powerful winds, but instead of picking up dust and debris they cause a water mist around the column of rotating air."

What is the Bayesian, and who owns it?

The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, and is listed for rent for up to €195,000 (£166,000) a week.

It was built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi.

The Bayesian's registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd, which is based on the Isle of Man.

The yacht's name is understood to derive from the Bayesian theory, which Mr Lynch's PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on.

Mr Lynch's wife Ms Bacares is named as the sole legal owner of Revtom, which is registered in the Isle of Man.

The Bayesian completed a number of sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily, according to ship-tracking website VesselFinder.

A spokesperson for Camper and Nicholsons International, the firm that manages the 2008-built boat, told BBC Verify: "Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew."

Morgan Stanley International chairman among missing from sunken yacht, reports say

Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, was on Monday night reported to be among the missing from the sunken yacht Bayesian.

He was confirmed missing by Italian authorities, according to The Times.

Mr Bloomer is a close friend of Mike Lynch, the owner of the yacht, who is also missing alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

Salvatore Cocina, head of the Civil Protection in Sicily, said Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, was also missing.

The vessel is thought to have been hit by a tornado while anchored off Sicily. 

Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American, Italian newspaper la Repubblica stated. Italian media said the man who died was the yacht’s onboard chef.

Mr Lynch’s US fraud trial, which ended two months ago with him being cleared by a San Francisco jury, saw Mr Bloomer take the stand as he had led the audit committee at Mr Lynch’s firm Autonomy.

It was alleged that he had overseen fraudulent accounting at Autonomy that wildly inflated the former FTSE 100 company’s value before it was sold to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion (£8.7 billion) in 2011.

Mr Bloomer claimed that Mr Lynch had largely ignored Autonomy’s accounting, in evidence which was critical to his defence.

Mr Bloomer claimed: “Mike was mostly interested in the strategy, new products, new areas to look at, potential acquisitions.

“For example, he didn’t come to the audit committee and wasn’t particularly interested in the finance side.”

According to his Linkedin profile, Mr Bloomer is currently the chairman of insurance provider Hiscox and was the chief executive of Prudential before being ousted in a boardroom coup in 2005 following the dotcom crash.

Live Reporting

Related stories, lawyer and chairman among those missing.

Salvatore Cocina, head of the Civil Protection in Sicily, said Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance and Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, were also among the missing people.

Meanwhile, Italian media said the man who died was the yacht’s onboard chef.

Did Bayesian superyacht’s 237ft mast cause it to sink?

Bayesian’s 237ft metal mast may have played a part in the sinking of the superyacht off the coast of Sicily, experts have suggested.

The yacht, seemingly named after the mathematical theory which Mike Lynch used to make his millions in the tech industry, foundered in the small hours of Monday morning.

Key among potential reasons for the loss of the vessel will be its most striking feature – the aluminium mast.

Read our latest here

British inspectors deploy to Sicily

Britain’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch said four of its inspectors were being deployed to Palermo.

A basic assessment of the scene will be made by the team with no investigation launched at this stage, the PA news agency understands.

Lynch’s co-defendant in fraud trial died in car crash on weekend

Mike Lynch’s co-defendant in his US fraud trial died in a road accident on Saturday days before the tycoon went missing off the coast of Sicily.

Stephen Chamberlain was hit by a car during the accident over the weekend in Cambridgeshire.

Chamberlain faced the same charges of fraud and conspiracy as his former boss Lynch for allegedly scheming to inflate the value of his company Autonomy before it was sold to Hewlett Packard.

A source told The Telegraph: “Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running.

“He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity, and we deeply miss him. He fought successfully to clear his good name, which lives on through his wonderful family.”

Pictured: Search mission continues

‘A holiday day at sea turned into a tragedy’

“At around 4:30 in the morning it was gone. A beautiful vessel where there had been a party. A normal holiday day spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy,” a witness told Italian news agency ANSA. 

He continued: “The vessel was not far from the port. It would have taken very little to raise the anchor and head for the port. Evidently they were surprised by the storm that suddenly hit and they were unable to avoid the sinking.”

Rescue operation will continue overnight

The rescue operation for the missing six passengers will continue overnight, Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency has said.

A specialist caving search and rescue diving team has also arrived and hoped to “achieve results” overnight or early tomorrow morning, the BBC reported. 

Pictured: Survivors leave the Porticello Coast Guard headquarters

Superyacht guests were celebrating Mike Lynch’s acquittal when disaster struck

Guests were celebrating the acquittal of Mike Lynch, the British tech entrepreneur, on the superyacht Bayesian when the vessel sank off the coast of Italy.

Mr Lynch had gathered guests from Clifford Chance, the legal firm, and Invoke Capital, his own company, after being cleared in June of fraud over the multi-billion-dollar sale of Autonomy.

He was found not guilty on all counts of an accusation of inflating the value of the company, which he sold to the US tech giant Hewlett-Packard for £8.6 billion in 2011.

Read the full story here

‘We should have found something by now’

Francesco Venuto, the spokesman for Sicily’s civil protection agency, has told the BBC that they “think [the missing people] must be there [in the boat]”.

“We’ve been searching all day with helicopters and boats, we’ve found nothing. That wouldn’t make sense, in these conditions we should have found something by now,” he added.

Lynch’s wife in wheelchair following incident

According to La Repubblica, Bacares is in a wheelchair, with abrasions on her feet that prevent her from walking and bandages on other parts of her body.

The newspaper said that she told doctors that at 4am the boat tilted and she and her husband woke up.

At first, they were not worried but then there was a scene of confusion as glass shattered and everything slipped.

Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter also missing

Mike Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah is among those missing in the superyacht sinking, The Telegraph understands.

Italian media early reported that Angela Bacares, Mr Lynch’s wife, told doctors that her husband and daughter were missing.

Pictured: Previous waterspouts and tornados in Italy

A downburst reported near Sicily in 2018

A tornado reported at Licata, Sicily, in 2021

A waterspout in Apulia, Italy, in 2024

‘In the wrong place at the wrong time’

The boat sank after a tornado over the water known as a waterspout struck the area overnight, said Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency. One body has been recovered, and police divers were trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was resting at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet) off Porticello, near Palermo, where it had been anchored.

The Italian coast guard said the yacht had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers.

A sudden fierce storm had battered the area overnight, and struck where the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged Bayesian had been moored. “They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Cocina said, noting that another superyacht nearby wasn’t as badly damaged and was able to rescue some of the 15 survivors.

Who is Mike Lynch? Britain’s ‘Bill Gates’ who was acquitted of £8bn fraud just two months ago

Just weeks ago, Mike Lynch was walking out of a San Francisco courtroom a free man with tears in his eyes.

The technology tycoon known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” had improbably beaten the odds in a bitter US legal dispute with technology giant HP, convincing a jury that he was not guilty of claims of massive fraud.

Cleared after a 13-year legal fight, the entrepreneur vowed to fight to reform Britain’s extradition laws after he was flown to San Francisco to face trial and kept under house arrest.

Read the full profile here

Pictured: Rescue teams search the water

Pictured: A diver leaps into the sea during search for victims

‘I held her afloat with all my strength’: British mother describes rescuing her baby from drowning

Among the 15 survivors is a one-year-old British baby called Sofia who was saved by her mother, Charlotte Golunski.

Ms Golunski, an Oxford graduate and senior associate at Invoke, had fought to prevent her child from drowning. While all around her she could hear the screams of the terrified passengers and crew, she kept her grip on her baby to stop her from slipping beneath the waves.

The child’s mother told Republicca, the Italian newspaper: “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.”

Mike Lynch was awarded an OBE for services to enterprise

Mike Lynch was made an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006. 

That same year, he was appointed to the board of the BBC, and was later elected to then-prime minister David Cameron’s council for science and technology in 2011.

He advised Mr Cameron on subjects including “the opportunities and risks of the development of artificial intelligence and the government’s role in the regulation of these technologies”.

Mr Lynch is among six tourists missing after the luxury yacht sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily, sources said.

Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American, Italian news website la Repubblica stated.

UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch sending team

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch is sending a team of four inspectors to conduct a “preliminary assessment” into the sinking of the Bayesian, a government spokesman said.

The Bayesian was registered in London and flew the Red Ensign, meaning UK authorities will be involved in the investigation into why she foundered.

Specialist divers are being flown to Sicily from the Italian mainland

Specialist cave divers are being flown to Sicily from the Italian mainland to assist in the search for survivors of the superyacht as hopes fade of finding any of the six alive.

Luca Cari, spokesman for the firefighting service, told The Telegraph firefighter divers from Palermo and the Sardinian towns of Cagliari and Sassari had been working tirelessly at a depth of 50 metres since the early hours of Monday morning when the alarm was sounded.

But Mr Cari said the spaces inside the luxury yacht were so small that specially trained cave divers and their equipment were required to access the cabins.

“We are working non-stop with our divers and our helicopter.  But we are talking about very small confined spaces inside the yacht so we need the specialist cave divers and their equipment,” he said.

He declined to say whether divers had identified bodies through the portholes of the sunken yacht but said as time went on it was increasingly unlikely that the firefighters would find any more survivors.

Divers search for bodies after superyacht sinks in Sicily

Divers involved in the rescue operation for the missing passengers of the Bayesian have been captured entering the water as part of the search effort. 

Three divers in orange wetsuits are seen in the water off the coast of Sicily before they commence an underwater search for those that are missing. 

Mike Lynch has been called the ‘British Bill Gates’

Mike Lynch, the British technology tycoon, is one of six tourists missing in a superyacht sinking. 

Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, and made his name as one of Britain’s most influential entrepreneurs through the company.

He has been described at points as the Bill Gates of Britain, for founding the company which became one of the biggest enterprise software firms on the planet.

He negotiated an 11 billion dollar (£8.64 billion) sale of Autonomy to Hewlett Packard, which generated a more than 800 million US dollar windfall for him.

But the sale also kicked off a 13-year legal saga. It was only in June this year that Mr Lynch was cleared of charges alleging he orchestrated a fraud and conspiracy leading up to the deal, which turned into a costly albatross for HP.

He faced more than 20 years in US prison if convicted of the fraud and conspiracy allegations, and the Times reported that he spent 13 months under house arrest awaiting the trial that ended in June.

Bayesian superyacht specs

The Bayesian is 56 metres long (183ft) and has a 75m (246ft) long mast.

The vessel was in front of the port of Porticello, in the province of Palermo, when the severe weather struck. 

Its anchor was down and the strong gust would have caused the vessel to lose balance which is believed to have led to the shipwreck.

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mr Lynch, 59, founded the software company Autonomy in 1996 and became one of Britain’s most high-profile businessmen when he sold it to Hewlett Packard for £7bn in 2011.

He spent more than a decade seeking to clear his name after HP accused Autonomy executives of illegal accounting practices in 2012.

Mr Lynch was charged with fraud in the US in 2018 and was found not guilty in June in a stunning legal victory. He had only recently returned to the United Kingdom and had planned to defend wrongfully convicted Britons.

Ms Bacares holds much of his fortune. The couple have had two daughters, who are 21 and 18.

Survivor leaves coast guard headquarters after sailboat sank off Sicily

A survivor leaves the coast guard headquarters after a superyacht sank at around 5am in front of Porticello in the province of Palermo on Monday.

The 50-metre vessel reportedly had mostly British nationals on board and 15 people were saved by coast guard patrol boats and firefighters, including a one-year-old child.

Earlier today the coast guard issued a statement saying it had rescued 15 people from the yacht that had 22 people onboard. 

The term Bayesian explained

The term Bayesian refers to a branch of statistics pioneered by Thomas Bayes, an 18th century mathematician and vicar.

Much of modern artificial intelligence and computer analysis is underpinned by Bayesian inference, which involves updating the probabilities of various scenarios based on ongoing evidence.

The statistical model was crucial to Autonomy’s technology, which searched through large amounts of corporate data to find information.

In 2021, Mike Lynch said that: “Bayes deserves far more historical credit for the place he occupies among the forefathers of information theory”

Mr Lynch has often used playful naming conventions. Conference rooms at Autonomy were named after James Bond villains, another interest of his, while his dogs have named after engineering terms such as Valve, Tappet and Switch.

Doctor describes mother’s ordeal

Dr Domenico Cipolla, head of emergency room at the Giovanni di Cristina paediatric hospital in Palermo, has described the experience of Charlotte, the British mother who was onboard the Bayesian when it sank. 

DrCipolla said: “She told me that while they were sleeping, at a certain point the yacht overturned due to the tornado, and they found themselves in the water. 

“Some of them immediately managed to get onto the lifeboat. And some, evidently, didn’t make it.

“She told me that she was in the water for no more than two, three seconds, and she managed to save the baby, to keep her arms up, and then, with the others, they were able to get on the lifeboat, and then, I think, they were rescued by the coast guard.

“They are all in good condition. We managed to get the parents to talk (to each other) on the phone, all the doctors and nurses were all very moved, also because the little girl is fine, the prognosis is good and we are carrying out tests just to be careful.”

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch missing in superyacht sinking

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch is missing after the sinking of a superyacht off the coast of Sicily, The Telegraph understands.

Watch: Captain who rescued passengers from yacht sinking interview

The captain who rescued passengers from the Bayesian has spoken to media about the ordeal.

Captain of another boat describes saving 15 Bayesian passengers

The captain of a nearby boat that rescued the 15 people has described the conditions in which the Bayesian sank last night.

Karsten Borner said his own vessel, the Sir Robert BP, was battered by very strong gusts in the early hours of the morning, managing to stabilise it while anchored by using the engine.

He said as they were doing this, they noticed the Bayesian nearby and manoeuvred to avoid hitting it.

“We managed to keep the ship in position, and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone.”

Details of the superyacht

The Bayesian is 56 metres long (183ft) according to ship tracking website VesselFinder.

The luxury super yacht is said to have a 75m (246ft) long mast.

She was built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi with an initial asking price of 35 million euros (£30 million) according to Nautic Link. 

According to the leasing company Yacht Charter Fleet, the boat is furnished with a “Japanese-style” interior.

It has been designed to accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, along with ten crew members.

The Bayesian was awarded the best exterior styling at the 2009 World Superyacht Awards.

Male body recovered, Vigili del Fuoco confirms

Vigili del Fuoco,  Italy’s fire and rescue service, has confirmed a male body has been recovered from the yacht.

In a post on X, it said the “lifeless body of a man recovered [has been] from the wreck by the divers.”

It posted the statement alongside a clip of the rescue effort with footage showing helicopters, boats and divers carrying out a search operation.

#Palermo , naufragio imbarcazione a Porticello: recuperato dai #sommozzatori dei #vigilidelfuoco il corpo senza vita di un uomo, all'esterno del relitto. Proseguono le operazioni di ricerca con il coordinamento in mare della @guardiacostiera [ #19agosto 11:30] pic.twitter.com/Y2m9o5ohCe — Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 19, 2024

Four Britons missing after yacht sinks off Sicily

One person has died and four British nationals are missing after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily, Italian media has reported.

The 50-metre boat, which is called the “Bayesian”, sank at around 5am in the stretch of sea in front of Porticello in the province of Palermo.

The vessel reportedly had mostly British nationals on board and 15 people were saved by coast guard patrol boats and firefighters, including a one-year-old child.

One-year-old survivor called Sofia, local media reports

The one-year-old English girl who was saved from the shipwreck has been named as Sofia, local media reports. 

Map: The superyacht’s journey before it sank

The Bayesian sank at around 5am in the stretch of sea in front of Porticello in the province of Palermo.

Below is a map of its journey before it went down. 

A mother saved her one-year-old from drowning, local media reports

A mother has told of how she kept her one-year-old daughter alive after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Charlotte, a survivor of the incident said her child is now being treated in the Di Cristina hospital, in Palermo, following the ordeal in which the Bayesian sank due to severe winds. 

The mother, who is said to be a British tourist, told la Repubblica, a local news website: “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.” 

Charlotte said her husband James has been taken to Civico hospital in Palermo after suffering minor injuries. 

La Repubblica said that the father asked about his daughter’s health during a phone call with his wife.

According to the paper, he said: “How is the little girl? Is she there with you?”

His wife reassured him and they promised to hug each other again soon, the site reported. 

Shadow foreign minister pays tribute to those involved in incident

Alicia Kearns, shadow foreign minister for Europe, wrote on X: “Desperately sorry to hear of the capsizing of the Bayesian - a heartbreaking incident.

“My thoughts are with all the families of those lost at sea, and those recovering following the rescue operation, I’m sure the foreign office will be providing consular support to British Nationals and their families.”

Foreign Office statement

The Foreign Office said in a statement: “We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.”

‘I saw it suddenly disappear’, says Porticello fisherman

Pietro Asciutto, a fisherman from Porticello who witnessed the sinking, told ANSA: “I was at home when the tornado hit. I immediately closed all the windows. Then I saw the boat, it had only one mast, it was very large. I saw it sink suddenly.”

He added: “I think the tornado came from Porticello. Shortly after I went down to the Bay of Santa Nicolicchia to get a better look at what was happening. 

“The boat was still floating, then suddenly it disappeared. I saw it sink with my own eyes.”

Sinking of Bayesian ‘strange’, says former chief stewardess

A former chief stewardess of the Bayesian has described news of the yacht’s sinking as “strange” because the boat had withstood the choppiest of seas.

Monica Jensen, 48, told The Telegraph: “It seems a bit strange. We have been in bad weather with it, crossed the Atlantic.

“It’s been all over. These things definitely don’t happen very often.”

Ms Jensen worked on the 56m superyacht from November 2018 to October 2020 for a private owner and said the boat had since been sold. 

She accompanied the boat on two Caribbean seasons and cruised around Italy, Malta, Greece and the Balearics.

Ms Jensen said the crew would have been well-drilled on the evacuation process.

She said: “You can’t work on a boat without the right certificates, training and you do drills monthly.”

Pictured: Emergency services carrying bodybag following shipwreck

Emergency services are pictured carrying a bodybag to shore after local media reported a man’s body had been recovered from the shipwreck off the coast of Sicily. 

Coast guard statement

The Italian Coast Guard said in a statement: “This morning at about 5am, following a violent gale, a 56-metre yacht named Bayesian and flying the UK flag sank off Porticello.

“The first shipwrecked were rescued by a boat in the immediate vicinity and brought ashore by four coast guard vessels, which promptly responded to the scene from Porticello, Termini Imerese and Palermo.

“Initial information received from the yacht crew indicated that 22 people (10 crew members and 12 passengers) were onboard the yacht.

“There are currently 15 people rescued and seven missing (one crew member and six passengers), of British, American and Canadian nationality.

“Of the people recovered, eight were transported to local hospitals. The vessel is reported to have sunk on a seabed of about 50 metres.

“The search continues unabated with naval, air and underwater resources, including the Messina Coast Guard Diving Unit.”

Mayor makes statement about incident

Filippo Tripoli, the mayor of Bagheria in Sicily, said: “This morning, off the coast of Santa Flavia, a foreign boat sunk 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.”

‘Captain should not be blamed’, says local businessman

Bartolomeo Lo Coco, who owns the Tosto Chiosco cafe in Porticello, said it was common for rental yachts and boats to sail through the fishing village, adding that the captain should not be blamed for what had occurred because the weather had been so unpredictable.

“This was a terrible misfortune that no-one could have foreseen. It is nobody’s fault, the captain should not be blamed.”

Lo Coco said Carabinieri police, coast guard and firefighters were still searching the port. He stressed that the yacht was at a depth of 50 to 60 metres.

People in ‘mourning’, says local business owner

Bartolomeo Lo Coco, who owns the Tosto Chiosco cafe in Porticello, said those in the port were in “mourning” following the deeply shocking incident.

He said no one could have predicted the storm and the whirlwind that appeared to have caused the accident.

“We are in mourning here, all of us are in mourning,” he told The Telegraph. “We have never seen anything like this, ever. There is a very serious tragedy.”

His kiosk, which serves snacks and sandwiches, overlooks the water in Porticello.

He said the whirlwind, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, had not only caused the tragic accident but also widespread damage in the port.

He added: “This wasn’t a thunderstorm, this was a whirlwind. It happened all of a sudden. There is a lot of damage here. Boats were dislodged from their moorings and restaurant tables were broken within minutes and sent flying several metres.”

Body of man recovered in search, local media reports

The body of a man has been recovered from the seabed in the search for missing people following a shipwreck off the coast of Sicily, according to il Fatto Quotidiano.

The local news website said: “A body was found and recovered by rescuers on the seabed. Firefighters and the coast guard are looking for six other passengers, while fifteen have been rescued.”

Among the survivors is a one-year-old girl who is being treated in the Civico hospital with her mother, the site said.

According to witnesses, the vessel was in front of the port of Porticello when the severe weather struck. 

The anchor was down and the strong gust would have caused the vessel to lose balance which is believed to have led to the shipwreck.

Storm in Palermo

Footage shared by the BAIA Santa Nicolicchia restaurant shows the storm hit the port.

The violent weather causes damage outside the restaurant, knocking over chairs and plant pots.

Yacht designed for luxury travel

The Bayesian was designed for luxury travel, according to local media.

Tgcom24 described the yacht as an “elegant 56-metre sailing boat” weighing 473 tons. It was said to be flying a United Kingdom flag when it sank.

The online newspaper said it was built by the Perini Navi Viareggio shipyard in February 2008, before being refitted in 2020.

The boat had arrived in Porticello after a stop in Milazzo and a passage in front of Cefalù, Tgcom24 reported.

Watch: Search underway

Aerial footage of the search has been posted on social media by Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s fire and rescue service.

The post on X, formerly Twitter, said: “A Palermo boat wreck off the coast of Porticello, 15 people saved, seven reported missing.

“Since dawn firefighters and divers have engaged in the search. The wreck has been identified 50 metres deep.”

Vessel ‘caught middle of a hurricane’

The BAIA Santa Nicolicchia restaurant in Porticello wrote on its Facebook page that the yacht sank at around 4am after being caught in a hurricane.

They called it an “unbelievable tragedy”, adding that they were “lost for words”.

The post read: “Last picture I took at 10pm. The yacht on the left sank at 4.05am, caught in the middle of the hurricane 300 metres from the port of Porticello, next to another sailboat that provided rescue.

“It looks like there are 22 on board but unfortunately seven missing, they’re still afraid inside the hull.

“Unbelievable tragedy tonight. I’m out of words.”

Pictured: Last photo of boat

The last photo thought to have been taken of the yacht at 10pm on Sunday in Porticello.

Four Britons missing

Four Britons are reported to be missing after a yacht sank in a stretch of sea in front of Porticello.

Seven people are missing in total, including four Britons, one Canadian, two Americans and the ship’s cook.

The vessel reportedly had mostly British nationals on board and 15 people were saved by coast guard patrol boats and firefighters, including a one-year-old child.

Welcome to our live coverage

Hello, we’re bringing you the latest news after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily. 

• Mike Lynch and teenage daughter feared dead in superyacht sinking
• Did Bayesian superyacht's 237ft mast cause it to sink?
• The dangerous storms raging around Italy as 'tornado sinks superyacht'
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Femi Otedola Rents $3Million Yacht For his 60th Birthday

Billionaire businessman Femi Otedola, spends $3million which is over N2.2billion to rent Aristotle Onassis Christina O Super luxury yacht for his 60th birthday.

In celebration of his upcoming 60th birthday on November 7, Femi Otedola rented the super yacht belonging to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

Otedola rented the yacht to celebrate his 60th birthday with his family and friends. The yacht will sail for three weeks.

The yacht has 37 crew on-board. Otedola and his family, including his son-in-law singer Mr Eaziwere film boarding the yacht.

Photos from Otedola 60th Birthday   

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cuppy (@cuppymusic)

Femi Otedola 60th Birthday Guest List

You might be wondering which people made it to the list of Femi Otedola 60th yacht birthday getaway!

Surprisingly, The billionaire birthday yacht vacation was attending by only his immediate family including his first son in-law singer Mr Eazi.

Otedola daughter Temi, announced and Nigerian singer Mr Eazi announced their engagement in April 10.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Temiloluwa Otedola (@temiotedola)

So it’s no surprise to anyone that Mr Eazi is the only person outside the Otedola family that was invited to the yacht.

Otedola children, Temi, Tolani, Fewa, DJ Cuppy and his wife were also in attendance.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Femi Ote? (@femiotedola)

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