Deadly Tornado Strikes Luxury Yacht Off the Coast of Sicily

Tragic Incident at Sea

A lux­u­ry supery­acht was struck by a vio­lent tor­na­do off the coast of Sici­ly, lead­ing to the death of one pas­sen­ger and the dis­ap­pear­ance of six oth­ers, includ­ing a promi­nent British tech tycoon.

The 160-foot yacht, named the Bayesian, was car­ry­ing 22 peo­ple when it was hit by the storm near the port of Por­ti­cel­lo ear­ly on Mon­day morn­ing. The inci­dent has left the Ital­ian coast guard and res­cue teams search­ing for the miss­ing individuals.

Vessel Overturned in the Storm

Accord­ing to reports, the yacht, which was fly­ing under the British flag, cap­sized after being struck by the pow­er­ful tor­na­do. One body, believed to be that of the ship’s chef, has been recov­ered from the wreckage.

Six oth­ers, includ­ing the ves­sel’s own­er, British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, are still unac­count­ed for. Three oth­er Britons, two Amer­i­cans, and one Cana­di­an were also miss­ing after the incident.

Rescue Efforts Underway

Fif­teen peo­ple were res­cued from the sink­ing yacht, includ­ing Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares. Eight of the sur­vivors, includ­ing a 1‑year-old child, were tak­en to local hos­pi­tals and are report­ed to be in sta­ble condition.

The Ital­ian coast guard, cara­binieri, fire res­cue, and civ­il pro­tec­tion ser­vice have all been involved in the search and res­cue efforts, with heli­copters and boats comb­ing the area for any sign of the miss­ing individuals.