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GUT-WRENCHING FIND: Divers pull 5 bodies from wreckage, captain grilled

Divers have now recovered five bodies from the wreckage of a superyacht – including a billionaire and his teen daughter – as cops grill the captain over the tragedy.

The bodies of a billionaire tech entrepeneur and his teenage daughter have been recovered from the wreckage of his doomed superyacht Bayesian.

Three more missing bodies were also recovered Wednesday as specialist divers continue to scour the wreckage in a bid to find the final remaining passenger.

Mike Lynch, 59, who owned the $58 million superyacht, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were both brought to land earlier today and taken away in body bags by a waiting ambulance.

Their bodies were said to be trapped by two mattresses inside a cabin on the superyacht, according to Italian publication La Repubblica.

The 56-metre yacht had been anchored 700 metres off shore on the Italian island of Sicily when it was struck by a “black swan” waterspout during a pre-dawn storm on Monday.

It sank within minutes.

Fifteen people were rescued, including Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares who made it to a tiny liferaft and a mother with her one-year-old baby.

Six bodies have now been found after the yacht’s chef, Canadian-born Ricardo Thomas, was confirmed dead after rescuers found his body near the wreck on Monday.

Italian authorities are yet to confirm the identities of the bodies that have been recovered and are likely waiting to find the final missing person before contacting the victims’ families.Sicily civil protection director-general Salvo Cocina told The Telegraph: “On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences to them at this difficult time.”

The missing passengers still unaccounted for are Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, law firm partner Chris Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda Morvillo.

Around 50 emergency workers are helping with the search with eight divers from across Italy tirelessly exploring the wreck.

 

Divers have recovered five of the six missing passengers. Picture: Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP
Divers have recovered five of the six missing passengers. Picture: Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP


Billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were confirmed to be the first two bodies pulled from the water on Wednesday. His wife Angela Bacare (together, above) survived the tragedy
Billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were confirmed to be the first two bodies pulled from the water on Wednesday. His wife Angela Bacare (together, above) survived the tragedy

 

Captain interrogated for two hours

The tragic discovery came after it emerged Italian cops had spent more than two hours interrogating the doomed superyacht’s captain.

New Zealand-born James Cutfield, 51, managed to escape from the vessel as it plunged to the bottom of the ocean and is recovering in hospital with his wife by his side.

Proescutors, who have been interviewing survivors from the tragedy, questioned him for several hours about the disaster, Giornale Di Sicilia reported.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mr Cutfield.

It comes after divers found that the keel, a crucial part of the boat’s structure which helps keep it balanced, had been raised when the yacht was anchored off shore.

The keel operates as the main structural backbone of the yacht, filled with heavy materials, keeping it balanced and helping it to correct in stormy waters.

Dan Green, Research & Investigations lead at eSysman SuperYachts, told The Mirror that if the keel was raised it would harm the boat’s stability and could explain why it sank so quickly.

He said: “The keel when lowered increases the stability of the vessel.

“When raised, this reduces stability as the centre of gravity is raised, as the keel is also weighted with lead.

“Another effect of the keel being in the up position is the vessel will not self-right if it leans far over.

“If you add to that the possibility of hatches being opened on the vessel that would explain why it’s saying [sinking] so quickly.”

Cutfield had captained luxury yachts for eight years and had previously worked on building them for 30 years.

Before working for Mr Lynch, he worked for a Turkish billionaire.

 

Law firm partner Chris Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda (top row) and Morgan Stanley boss Jonathon Bloomer (bottom row) are unaccounted for.
Law firm partner Chris Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda (top row) and Morgan Stanley boss Jonathon Bloomer (bottom row) are unaccounted for.


New Zealand-born captain James Cutfield, 51, was interrogated by police for two hours after divers discovered the superyacht’s keel was raised when it was anchored. Picture: Supplied
New Zealand-born captain James Cutfield, 51, was interrogated by police for two hours after divers discovered the superyacht’s keel was raised when it was anchored. Picture: Supplied

 

Lawyer’s chilling text to dad

Earlier on Wednesday, the father of a lawyer who survived the yacht tragedy spoke about the disturbing text his daughter sent him.

Ayla Ronald, 36, a senior associate at law firm Clifford Chance, and her partner Matthew Fletcher had been invited aboard the yacht to celebrate Mr Lynch’s acquittal in “one of Silicon Valley’s biggest-ever fraud cases” alongside his friends and family.

“Ayla is a lawyer who is part of the legal team that was invited to go sailing as a result of the success in the recent United States court case,” Ms Ronald’s father Lin told The Telegraph.

“I have texted my daughter and she hasn’t given me any updates about missing personnel or saved personnel,” he said.

“She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive.”

Ms Ronald helped coordinate with the first responders at the scene as her phone was the only one with a battery, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Mr Ronald told the outlet his daughter was “very shaken” following the incident.

 

Lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, was reportedly the only survivor with a phone that had battery. She sent her father a chilling text in the aftermath of the tragedy. Picture: Supplied
Lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, was reportedly the only survivor with a phone that had battery. She sent her father a chilling text in the aftermath of the tragedy. Picture: Supplied

 

‘Darkness’: Mother’s heroic act

Among the survivors was Charlotte Golunski, board director of a company founded by Lynch, who has described how she briefly lost hold of her one-year-old daughter before grabbing her again.

Golunski told La Repubblica they made it out alive because they were on deck when the yacht sank, describing in dramatic detail holding her baby above the surface of the sea to save her.

Fabio Genco, a member of the Palermo Emergency Medical Services who was among the team that treated the child, described the “apocalyptic” situation he found on arriving at the scene.

“The word that the mother and all the injured kept repeating was ‘darkness’, the darkness that they experienced during the shipwreck,” he told the BBC’s Newsnight programme.

“They spoke of about five minutes, maybe from three to five minutes, from the moment the boat was lifted, raised by the waves of the sea, until it sank.” He said the survivors rescued had been in shock: “There were truly apocalyptic scenes where everyone was searching and hoping to find the people who at that moment, were not present or just missing.” All the survivors treated in hospital have been discharged, he confirmed.

Mr Lynch’s wife was was seen in a wheelchair after suffering abrasions on her feet, according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The paper reported she had been taken to a regional hospital, where she told doctors the boat began to tilt at around 4am, waking Bacares and her husband.

She had then climbed up to the deck to assess the situation when the vessel suddenly started to capsize, the paper said.

 

The Bayesian was anchored 700m from port when it was struck by a waterspout. Picture: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP
The Bayesian was anchored 700m from port when it was struck by a waterspout. Picture: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

Divers off Porticello on the site where the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank with 22 people onboard. Picture: Handout/Vigili del Fuoco/AFP
Divers off Porticello on the site where the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank with 22 people onboard. Picture: Handout/Vigili del Fuoco/AFP

 

Key unanswered question remains

The speed with which the yacht sank, and the fact that other boats around it were unaffected, has divided experts as authorities try to discover what caused the freak tragedy.

Sailing expert Sam Jefferson, editor of magazine Sailing Today, said it was possible hatches left open by crew members could have contributed to the yacht sinking so quickly.

“I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side,” he said, according to the Daily Mail.

“I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that.”

Matthew Schanck, from the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, told AFP what happened was a “pretty unprecedented”, describing it as a “black swan event” - something that was unlikely, but had a big impact.

 

Mike Lynch’s body was pulled from the water Wednesday alongside his 18-year-old daughter. Picture: Ben Gurr/Pool/AFP
Mike Lynch’s body was pulled from the water Wednesday alongside his 18-year-old daughter. Picture: Ben Gurr/Pool/AFP

 

Missing billionaire tech tycoon’s big win

Lynch’s three-month trial played out in San Francisco federal court and centered on allegations that Lynch schemed to inflate his software company Autonomy’s revenue when he sold it to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011.

Within a year, the US tech company was forced to down-value Autonomy’s worth by $8.8 billion.

A jury found the Irish-born Lynch, 59, not guilty on all 15 conspiracy and wire fraud charges on June 6.

A celebrated technology sector entrepreneur and investor, sometimes referred to as the UK’s answer to Bill Gates, he had won numerous awards and plaudits in Britain and beyond.

- With AFP

Author: Editors Desk, Daniel Peters

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

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