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Bayesian yacht RECAP: British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah remain among six superyacht passengers still missing after freak waterspout sinks 180ft sailboat with 22 people on board leaving at least one dead

By Jamie Bullen and Milo Pope

Published: 04:04 EDT, 19 August 2024 | Updated: 02:29 EDT, 20 August 2024

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British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among six people missing after a 180ft superyacht sunk off the coast in Sicily after it was struck by a tornado in the early hours this morning.

The 59-year-old University of Cambridge graduate is believed to be the owner of the Bayesian sailboat which was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew when it capsized near Porticello. Six people, understood to be four Britons and two Americans, remain unaccounted for while 15 passengers were rescued by a nearby ship including a British mother and her one-year-old daughter.

Mr Lynch was acquitted of fraud charges in the US in June over the sale of the $11bn (£8.6bn) sale of his software firm to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Our live coverage has ended but for a full recap see below

This live blog has now closed.

Sicily superyacht shipwreck update: what we know so far.

If you're just joining us, this is the MailOnline's live coverage on the capsized superyacht off Sicily which has left one dead while six people remain missing.

Here's what you need to know:

• British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among six people missing after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo at around 4.30am this morning
• Mr Lynch, who is understood to be the owner of the 180ft sailboat, is believed to be one of four Britons unaccounted for while two Americans are also missing. His wife was one of 15 passengers rescued by a nearby ship
• The vessel was caught in the middle of a tornado which hit water and became a water spout
• The body of a Canadian chef who worked on he Bayesian has been recovered after he was found near the shipwreck by rescuers who have deployed divers and helicopters at the scene
• Superyacht guests were celebrating Mike Lynch's acquittal in a fraud case
• Specialist diving teams are hoping to 'achieve results' as they look for passengers overnight

We will continue to bring you developments.

Lynch's co-defendant in fraud trial fighting for life in hospital

Mike Lynch's co-defendant in his fraud trial was left fighting for his life in hospital after being hit by a car on Saturday.

Stephen Chamberlain was critically injured just days before billionaire Lynch went missing off the coast of Sicily, a person familiar with the matter has claimed.

Chamberlain, Autonomy's vice president of finance alongside chief executive Lynch, was hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday morning and was placed on life support, the person said.

WATCH: Diving specialists search shipwreck

Rescue operation will continue overnight.

Salvo Cocina, from Sicily's civil protection agency, has confirmed the rescue operation for the missing passengers will continue overnight.

Specialist diving teams are also hoping to 'achieve results' when they look for passengers, the BBC reports.

WATCH: Divers assist in search for sunken yacht survivors

Superyacht guests were 'celebrating mike lynch's acquittal'.

Further details about the guests on board the sunken superyacht has been revealed.

It is believed that they were celebrating the aquittal of Mike Lynch. Mr Lynch was cleared of fraud in June over the sale of Autonomy, which was for billions of dollars.

Guests from legal firm Clifford Chance and Invoke Capital were aboard the yacht.

WATCH: Moment yacht sinking survivors leave coastguard

Breaking: mike lynch's daughter, 18, also missing.

Mike Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah is also believed to be among the six people missing after the superyacht sinking.

Earlier, it was revealed that Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, was rescued.

However, now it has been revealed that their daughter has not been found, the Telegraph report.

Italian media reported how Bacares is currently using a wheelchair due to abrasions on her feet that were sustained in the sinking.

La Repubblica said Bacares and her husband felt the boat tilting at 4am and they woke up.

UK investigators heading to Sicily

Four inspectors from the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch are heading to Sicily to conduct a “preliminary assessment” into the sinking of the Bayesian, a government spokesman said.

The Bayesian was registered in Britain and flew the Red Ensign, meaning UK authorities will be involved in the investigation into the circumstances surrounding its sinking.

Pictures: Police patrols in Sicily as rescuers search for yacht passengers

Italian police have stationed themselves at the port in Sicily as rescuers continue searching for six superyacht passengers.

The Bayesian yacht sunk off Porticello, near the city of Palermo, on the island.

Mother reveals how one-year-old daughter was nearly swept away on superyacht

by Elena Salvoni

A British mother who was rescued from the sinking Bayesian superyacht along with her one-year-old child has described the nightmare moment she thought she had lost her baby, and how they miraculously made it to safety.

Harrowing details of this morning's events are emerging as divers continue their desperate search for six missing tourists in the wreck of the superyacht, 160ft underwater off the coast of Sicily.

Tragically, the body of a man was found floating alongside the vessel earlier today, with more feared dead as divers reported seeing 'bodies through the portholes' of the 180ft yacht.

The luxury vessel was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when a freak storm hit the area just before 5am, with witnesses describing how a 'whirlwind' hit, wrecking the boat and causing it to rapidly disappear beneath the waves.

Fifteen of the 22 people on board, including the one-year-old and its parents, were rescued by a nearby vessel, according to the Coast Guard. Incredibly, the child was unharmed.

Her 35-year-old mother, named in reports as Charlotte Golunski, told Italian media: 'For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea, then I immediately hugged her again amid the fury of the waves.'

'I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning,' she added. '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.'

Survivors named by Italian media

A solicitor whose firm represented Mike Lynch when he was cleared of fraud charges in the US has been named as among the passengers who survived the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht.

Ayla Ronald, 36, from London, has been named by Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera as one of the 15 people on board the 180ft sailboat when it capsized off the coast of Sicily.

Others were named including Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares as well as Sasha Murray, 29, from Ireland, James Caulfield, 51, from New Zealand, Myin Kyaw Htun, 39, from Myanmar and the captain Matthew Griffith, 22, from France.

The mother who was rescued along with her one-year-old daughter Sophie was named as Charlotte Golunski, a partner at Mr Lynch's firm Invoke Capital.

'The ship was so beautiful in the evening'

A MailOnline reader has come forward to share a picture of the Bayesian captured last week in Lipari, an Italian island off the northern coast of Italy.

Emanuele Buratti took this photo from his holiday home on the 14th of August and tells us:

In that night the ship was so beautiful in the evening, with this amazing mast and all lighted up.

I had been wondering who was the lucky owner and believe me that when I saw the pictures this morning it came as a great shock, and a great sadness.

Why is the superyacht named Bayesian?

The origins behind the name of the 180ft superyacht, Bayesian, are now clear after it emerged British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among the passengers missing when it sank off Sicily.

Mr Lynch was linked with the purchase of a yacht in 2014 for a sum 'north of $30m' while his wife Angela Bacares's company Revtom is listed as the legal owner of Bayesian, according to corporate records analysed by the BBC.

It appears the sailboat was named Bayesian in a nod to Thomas Bayes - an 18th century statistician and clergyman known for creating the mathematical formula for determining conditional probability, known as Bayes' theorem.

In April 2021, Mr Lynch wrote that Bayes 'deserves far more historical credit for the place he occupies among the forefathers of information theory' after Cass Business School in London was renamed Bayes Business School.

In an article for the City AM newspaper, Mr Lynch wrote:

Despite his ground-breaking work, we actually know relatively little about Thomas Bayes.

He was an English country vicar living in Tunbridge Wells, and during his life he was eminent enough to become a Fellow of the Royal Society. One of the few pieces of primary evidence relating to Bayes life is his signature in the Fellows book.

It is fitting that the Business Institute should be named after Thomas Bayes. It is also perhaps interesting to note how little we actually know of Thomas Bayes’ thoughts, views and opinions beyond his work.

PROFILE: Mike Lynch - The remarkable story of Britain's Bill Gates

by Tom Cotterill

He is the tech tycoon dubbed Britain's 'Bill Gates' who is now feared to have been on board a sunken superyacht.

Mike Lynch, a former advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron, is believed to be among the passengers trapped on the luxury yacht which sank off the coast of Sicily this morning.

Divers are desperately searching the wreck of the Bayesian, which is on the sea bed 160ft beneath the water.

Tragically, the body of a man - believed to be the boat's chef - was found floating alongside the vessel earlier today.

Mr Lynch, who is one of the UK's richest men worth an estimated £852million, is believed to have owned the stricken vessel.

Earlier this year he was cleared of all charges by an American jury in the high-profile fraud case relating to the sale of his software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.

It was a major victory for the tech guru - who is a fan of James Bond - after being dogged by legal problems since the disastrous $11billion (£8.3billion) sale 13 years ago.

Watch: How rescue ship captain helped passengers on sunken superyacht

We can now bring you footage of a ship captain who helped 15 passengers on board the Bayesian as it sank in the sea off the coast of Sicily.

Karsten Borner, captain of the Sir Robert ship, said his crew found some of the survivors on a life raft, including three who were seriously injured and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up.

See the video below:

Superyacht owned by Brit tycoon wife's company

BBC Verify is reporting that corporate records of the Bayesian superyacht link the sailboat to Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares (pictured with Mr Lynch).

According to the BBC, the yacht is owned by Revtom, a company registered in the Isle of Man whose legal owner is listed as Ms Bacares in the company's latest annual statement.

Ms Bacares is understood to be among 15 passengers who were rescued by a nearby ship when the yacht took on water shortly after 4am this morning.

Earlier we reported how Mr Lynch was reported to be engaged in purchasing a 180-ft superyacht in 2014, three years after the $11bn (£8.6bn) sale of his software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.

Sicily superyacht shipwreck: What we know this afternoon

If you're just joining us this afternoon we have been reporting live updates on the capsized superyacht off Sicily which has left one dead while six people remain missing.

We have had a steady stream of developments this afternoon including news that British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is understood to be among those rescuers are searching for.

Here's what you need to know this afternoon:

• A British mother named Charlotte told how she held her one-year-old daughter Sophie above the water as they were rescued along with her husband James who suffered minor injuries
• Prosecutors in Italy have opened an investigation into how the yacht sank with initial inspections finding neither the mast or the hull had any significant damage, although the vessel is believed to have taken water on quickly after it was struck by a storm

We will continue to bring you developments throughout the afternoon.

Pictured: Survivor leaves Coast Guard headquarters

A woman who survived the Bayesian sinking has been pictured leaving the Coast Guard headquarters.

Some survivors were said to have spoken to authorities as they attempt to piece together a reconstruction of how it capsized at around 4.30am this morning.

The woman pictured this afternoon has not been named.

Fifteen passengers were rescued by a nearby ship after severe weather caused the sailboat to sink off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo

Revealed: Brit tech tycoon 'missing' after tornado-hit superyacht sank off Sicily

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is understood to be among the British tourists who are missing after the the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

Divers are searching for six missing people in the wreck of the superyacht, which is on the sea bed 160ft beneath the water off the coast of Sicily.

Tragically, the body of a man was found floating alongside the vessel, with more feared dead as divers reported seeing 'bodies through the portholes' of the yacht.

The luxury vessel was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when a tornado hit the area just before 5am, wrecking the boat and causing it to rapidly disappear beneath the waves.

Fifteen of the 22 people on board, including a one-year-old and its parents, were rescued by a nearby vessel, according to the Coast Guard. Lynch's wife Angela Bacares is also reported to be among them, according to The Telegraph.

The 59-year-old tech entrepreneur has previously been dubbed Britain's Bill Gates after he made his fortune with his company Autonomy. Its software draws on the Bayesian mathematical theory.

Lynch linked with superyacht after Autonomy sale

in 2014, it was reported Mr Lynch was poised to splash out on a 180ft superyacht after the sale of his company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard three years previously.

Sources told The Register that Mr Lynch was engaged in purchasing a sailboat matching the dimensions of the Bayesian for a price 'north of $30m'.

Who is Mike Lynch? British tech tycoon missing in Sicily

Mike Lynch, the British tech tycoon, has been named as one of the six people missing when the Bayesian superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily.

The 59-year-old has been compared to the British Bill Gates after a company he founded grew to become of the biggest in the UK.

In June, he was cleared of fraud charges he faced in the US over the $11bn (£8.6bn) sale of his software firm to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Here's what you need to know about Mike Lynch:

• Mr Lynch graduated from the University of Cambridge and co-founded his company Autonomy in 1996 out of a specialist software research group called Cambridge Neurodynamics.
• The company, which used software to extract information from "unstructured" sources such as phone calls, emails or video, was sold to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011 in a deal ranked as the largest-ever takeover of a British technology business at the time.
• Mr Lynch reportedly made £500m from the sale but just a year later, HP wrote down the value of Autonomy by $8.8bn.
• In 2018, US prosecutors brought charges against Mr Lynch in 2018, accusing him of inflating the value of the firm
• He was eventually extradited after a UK judge ruled in favour of HP in a similar civil fraud case in 2022. HP is seeking a reported $4bn in that case.
• In June, Mr Lynch was cleared of fraud charges. He had faced more than 20 years in prison if convicted.

Breaking: British entrepreneur Mike Lynch missing in superyacht sinking

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is reportedly among six people missing after the Bayesian yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

In June, Mr Lynch was cleared of fraud charges he faced in the US over the $11bn (£8.6bn) sale of his software firm to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

The Telegraph is reporting Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 passengers who were rescued from the sailboat.

Yacht managers confirm boat sank after 'severe weather'

Camper & Nicholsons, managers of the Bayesian, have confirmed the 180ft Bayesian superyacht sank at around 4.30am after 'severe weather' in Sicily.

In an updated statement, the company said:

The Italian Coast Guard is leading search and rescue operations, and has safely recovered 15 individuals. Efforts to locate the seven missing persons continue.

Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Bayesian owner and child among the missing

Borner said 'a little baby and the wife of the owner' were among the survivors, while the owner of the sunken ship and another child were among those missing.

Describing conditions, Borner said his vessel was also leaning to the side, but the Bayesian 'went flat on the water and then down'.

He told the BBC:

There was a light and we saw that the ship was aside and then we saw a triangle. So I think she went back down.

Rescue ship captain helped save 15 yacht passengers

The captain of a nearby boat that helped rescue 15 passengers on board the capsized Bayesian has spoken to journalists.

Karsten Borner, captain of the Sir Robert ship, said when the storm hit he turned the engine on to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian.

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

He said that his crew then found some of the survivors on a life raft, including three who were seriously injured and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up.

Horrified witnesses describe moment deadly tornado struck superyacht

by David Averre and Elena Salvoni

Eyewitnesses to the horrific capsizing of a pleasure yacht packed with British tourists off the coast of Sicily this morning have told of the moment the vessel was battered by a 'whirlwind' that left one dead and several adrift in the sea.

A desperate hunt is now underway for survivors, including British and American tourists, after a freak storm sank the Bayesian - a 180ft luxury yacht - close to the port of Porticello, near Palermo, around 5am.

Fifteen of the 22 people on board, including a one-year-old baby and its mother, were rescued by a nearby vessel after the Bayesian capsized, but it is feared that those missing may have been trapped inside their cabins.

'At about 3:55 we saw the whirlwind, after a quarter of an hour we saw a rocket 500 metres away from the dock,' recounted Fabio Cefalù, a local fisherman who witnessed the tragic sinking of the yacht.

'At about 4:35 we went out to sea to provide assistance, but we only saw the remains of the boat floating. There was no one in the sea.'

Prosecutors open investigation into sunken yacht

Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation into the sinking of a superyacht off the coast of Sicily which has left at least one person dead while six others are missing.

The public prosecutor’s office in Termini Imerese has opened a file to ascertain the exact circumstances around the incident in the first move made by Italy's judicial authorities.

Picture: Rescuers recover body from shipwreck

This photograph shows the moment rescuers recovered a body from the shipwreck in Sicily.

Emergency services can be seen carrying a body bag after a superyacht sank in the early hours of Monday off the coast of Porticello.

Mother saved baby by holding her 'afloat with all my strength'

The mother who was rescued alongside her one-year-old daughter has told how she saved her life by keeping her afloat with her arms stretched upwards to stop her from drowning.

The woman, reported to be a British tourist named Charlotte, told La Repubblica, her child is being treated at the Di Cristina hospital, in Palermo, after they survived the sinking of the Bayesian.

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.”

Her husband James has been taken to another hospital with minor injuries. She told the paper he asked about their daughter's health in a phone call.

Fisherman - 'I saw it sink with my own eyes'

We have heard from one fisherman in Porticello who raised the alarm of the shipwreck, and now another has told how he watched the Bayesian sink to the bottom of the sea.

Pietro Asciutto told the ANSA news agency:

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.

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.

Fabio Cefalù, another fisherman from Porticello, told Italian media he found cushions, wood and a GPS signal when he searched the Bayesian earlier this morning.

Pictures: Divers join search and rescue effort in Sicily

We can now bring you pictures of divers joining the search and rescue effort in Sicily as six people remain missing after a superyacht capsized this morning.

Four Britons and two Americans remain unaccounted for after the 180ft sailboat sank near Porticello some time between 4am and 5am.

As well as coast guard divers, helicopter teams are scouring from above to assist the search.

Foreign Office - We stand ready to support British nationals

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.

Meanwhile, shadow foreign minister for Europe, Alicia Kearns, 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.

Breaking: Person found dead 'was a cook'

The person found dead near the shipwreck of the Bayesian was the sailboat's cook, it has been reported.

Italian media outlet Palermo Today has reported the crew member was a Canadian national who was a citizen of Antigua, the other crew members are reportedly safe and include nationals from New Zealand, Netherlands, Spain, UK, Ireland, Germany, South Africa and Burma.

The 12 passengers are all believed to be British and American. Of the six missing, four are understood to be British with the remaining two from the US.

Rescuers are believed to fear the missing six could be trapped inside the sunken hull of the Bayesian which is reported to be 49 metres below sea level.

Sicily superyacht shipwreck: Everything we know so far

If you're just joining us this morning, we are reporting live updates after a 180ft superyacht carrying British passengers capsized off the coast in Sicily in the early hours this morning.

Italian authorities say one body has been recovered near the shipwreck while six others, some of whom are believed to be British, remain missing with a search and rescue effort under way.

Here's everything you need to know:

• Between 4am and 5am this morning the Bayesian superyacht carrying 22 passengers and crew sank off Porticello, a fishing village near the city of Palermo in Sicily
• One person has been found dead and six others are missing while 15 people, including a mother and her baby as well as the ship's captain, survived
• Local fishermen raised the alarm in the early hours after violent weather struck the British-flagged yacht and reportedly caused it to take on water amid reports a tornado struck the area
• A huge search and rescue effort involving four coast guard vessels, two helicopters and divers are scouring the shipwreck for missing people
• Local residents say they are in 'mourning' after the tragedy while the ship's managers say they are 'dealing with a situation'

We will bring you more developments throughout the day as and when we can.

Fisherman - We found cushions, wood and GPS signal from shipwreck

A fisherman has told how he helped search the superyacht after it had capsized but didn't find any passengers.

Fabio Cefalù, from Porticello, was among those who raised the alarm of the shipwreck to the port authorities after investigating the scene when weather conditions calmed down.

Fabio told Live Sicilia :

At 4:20 we saw a rocket and after the storm we went out to sea.

We only found cushions, wood and materials from the boat – continues the witness -, we reported everything to the port authority . Around 4:35 we found the GPS signal of the sinking of the sailboat. But apart from that we found nothing.

Watch: Divers search for missing yacht passengers after Sicily shipwreck

Italian firefighters have released a video of divers searching for missing yacht passengers as a search and rescue effort continues off the coast in Sicily.

Vigili del Fuoco, Italy's institutional agency for fire and rescue service., have posted a video on its X account showing the search from sea and air.

Watch the video below:

Cafe owner - 'All of us are in mourning - we have never seen anything like this'

A cafe owner in Porticello has told the The Telegraph that the village is in 'mourning' after the shipwreck off the coast in the early hours.

One person has died and six others remain missing after the boat sank with 22 people on board.

Bartolomeo Lo Coco, who owns the Tosto Chiosco cafe in Porticello, said no-one could have predicted the destructive weather that is understood to have led to the Bayesian taking on water.

He told The Telegraph:

We are in mourning here, all of us are in mourning. We have never seen anything like this, ever. There is a very serious tragedy.

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.

Fishermen raised alarm after yacht capsize

It has been reported that some local fishermen raised the alarm for the Bayesian after it is believed to have taken on water when a tornado struck an area off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, at around 5am.

Italian media is reporting that witnesses claim the yacht was anchored to the front of the marina when the tornado struck with winds so strong that it broke the sail mast and caused the vessel to lose its balance.

Italian media - eight passengers taken to hospital

More details have emerged about the 15 people who were rescued from the yacht.

Italian media outlet Blog Sicilia has reported eight of those rescued were taken to hospitals in Bagheria and Palermo with none of them said to be seriously injured.

Five people who did not require treatment are said to be helping the Coast Guard to provide a reconstruction of what happened.

According to maritime authorities, 12 passengers were on board the Bayesian at the time it capsized and 10 crew members. The captain is understood to have survived.

Four coast guard vessels, a coast guard helicopter and a fire brigade helicopter, fire brigade divers and the Messina coast guard diving unit are involved in the search.

Six people remain missing after a body was found by rescuers near the shipwreck.

Pictures: Emergency rescuers near Sicily shipwreck

We can now bring you pictures of emergency search and rescue teams near the scene of a shipwreck in Sicily after a British-flagged boat sank this morning.

Firefighters and the Italian Coast Guard are among the agencies searching near Porticello as six passengers remain missing.

One body has already been discovered near the shipwreck and brought ashore.

Yacht managers - 'We're dealing with a situation'

Camper and Nicholsons International, the managers of the Bayesian yacht reported to be sunk off the coast in Sicily, have confirmed to the BBC they are ''dealing with a situation onboard one of [their] managed vessels'.

The company did not confirm which one of its vessels was involved.

Camper & Nicholsons describe themeselves as the 'original yachting company' which specialises in sales, construction and management of yachts.

Sicily hit by weather warning

Sicily is currently under a weather warning for wind, with video showing strong gusts battering the coast this morning.

CCTV footage from around 4am this morning shows a torrent of wind and rain slamming into Santa Nicolicchia - an area of Porticello where Bayesian was anchored.

The high winds throw umbrellas, plant pots, tables and chairs flying within seconds of hitting, with the local restaurant who shared the footage saying: 'In a moment the hurricane took everything away!'

The owners of Baia Santa Nicolicchia said they were able to open later in the morning once the storm had passed, but added: 'We have no memory of anything like this in our area.'

'A normal holiday turned into a tragedy'

We have just seen some quotes reported in the Italian press and residents in Sicily react to the tragedy.

A man from Porticello told the Ansa news agency that it appeared the yacht was surprised by a storm before it capsized:

That boat was all lit up. At around 4:30 in the morning it was gone.

A beautiful boat where there had been a party. A normal holiday spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy.

The boat was not far from the port. It took 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 sinking.

Breaking: Body found by rescuers on the seabed

Italian media are reporting a body has been found by rescuers searching for missing passengers after a yacht capsized off Sicily.

Italian newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano has reported the body was recovered on the sea bed near the sailboat which sank in front of Porticello at around 5am local time.

Mother and baby among 15 rescued

A mother and her one-year-old child are understood to be among the 15 people who were rescued when the yacht capsized earlier this morning.

According to Italian media outlet RAI, the baby was taken to the Children's Hospital of Palermo.

Both mother and baby are said to be fine, with the woman sustaining only minor injuries and the child undergoing tests as a precaution.

According to La Repubblica, the survivors already brought ashore are British, New Zealand, Irish citizens, as well as a survivor from Sri Lanka. Two of the survivors are said to have dual British-French passports.

What do we know about the yacht?

The 180ft yacht carrrying 22 passengers is thought to have arrived in Porticello after a stopping in Milazzo and sailing alongside of Cefalù.

Named as the Bayesian, a luxury boat which sails under a British flag, the yacht has a gross tonnage of 473 tons, and was built by the Perini Navi Viareggio shipyard in February 2008 before being refitted in 2020.

The vessel has capacity for 11 guests and 10 crewmembers.

The group are reported to have been tourists on holiday in Sicily, and were staying on the vessel.

According to Italian newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano, the yacht is powered by twin 8-cylinder diesel engines and can reach a maximum speed of 15 knots (17mph).

The boat is also said to have the second tallest mast in the world and the largest aluminum one of 75 meters.

Map: Where did the yacht capsize?

According to Italian media, the yacht sank at around 5am local time in the stretch of sea in front of Porticello, in the province of Palermo.

Porticello is a small fishing village located between the Sicilian cities of Palermo and Cefalu and is described on holiday websites as a 'hidden treasure' that 'few tourist know about'.

Sicily yacht capsizes: What we know so far?

Good morning, if you're just joining us we are providing live coverage after a yacht carrying British passengers capsized off the coast of Sicily at around 5am local time on Monday.

• A luxury 180ft sailing yacht, called the Bayesian (pictured above), carrying 22 people sank off the coast of Sicily at around 5am local time after bad weather including a tornado was reported in the area

Fifteen of the 22 people on board, including a one-year-old child and its mother, were rescued by coast guard patrol boats and firefighters.

• But seven people, four British nationals, two Americans and a Canadian national, remain missing with a search and rescue effort under way to recover them
• Expert divers have already dived to reach the hull, 49 metres below the water and about half a mile from the coast, according to Italian media.
• Nautical maps show the last known location of the Bayesian just after 2am local time, when it was at anchor.

Stick with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest on this breaking news story.

Breaking: Four Britons missing after yacht capsizes off coast of Sicily

Four British nationals and two Americans are among at least seven people missing after a 180ft yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of this morning, Italian media reports.

The passengers were mainly British, according to reports, while citizens from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Canada, the US and two dual British and French nationals were also said to be on board.

The group are reported to have been tourists on holiday in Sicily, and the boat sailed under a British flag.

The vessel is believed to have taken on water after a tornado hit the area off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, at around 5am.

Good morning

Hello and welcome to our live coverage after a 180ft yacht carrying British passengers sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of this morning.

Italian media is reporting four Britons are among seven people missing after the tourist boat was struck by a tornado off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, at around 5am local time.

We will bring you the latest developments on this breaking story.

• Lynch's co-defendant in fraud trial fighting for life in hospital View post
• Rescue operation will continue overnight View post
• Superyacht guests were 'celebrating Mike Lynch's acquittal' View post
• Mike Lynch's daughter, 18, also missing View post
• Mother reveals how one-year-old daughter was nearly swept away on superyacht View post
• Survivors named by Italian media View post
• PROFILE: Mike Lynch - The remarkable story of Britain's Bill Gates View post
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