ROME (AP) — British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and five others are missing after their luxury superyacht sank early Monday in a freak storm off the coast of Sicily, Italian civil defense and authorities said. Lynch’s wife and 14 others survived.
Lynch, who was acquitted in June in a major U.S. fraud trial, was one of six people still missing after the yacht he was chartering sank off the coast of Porticello, where a tornado known as a water tornado struck the area overnight, according to Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil defense office.
Rescue officials said one body had been found and police divers were trying to reach the vessel, which was anchored in 50 metres (164 feet) of water off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo.
The ship was carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers, according to the Italian coast guard. A sudden and severe storm hit the area overnight, hitting the exact spot where the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged ship, the Baysian, was moored.
“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Kosina said, noting that another nearby superyacht was not as badly damaged and helped rescue some of the 15 survivors, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bakales.
The Baysian was famous for its 75-metre (246-foot) single mast – one of the tallest aluminium masts in the world – which was lit up at night hours before it sank. It was being rented out on online charter sites for up to 195,000 euros (about $215,000) a week.
One of the survivors, Charlotte Emslie, said she briefly held her 1-year-old daughter, Sophia, out of the water, then managed to hoist her above the waves until a lifeboat inflated and pulled them both to safety, Italian news agency ANSA reported, citing her mother. Her father, James Emslie, also survived, Cocina reported.
Of the 15 people rescued and taken to shore in Porticello, eight were taken to hospital and the rest to a hotel. A body believed to be that of a cook was found near the wreck, while six others were missing and believed to be inside the vessel, said Luca Cali, a spokesman for the Italian Fire and Rescue Service.
Rescue teams had found the vessel and Deep Sea Police divers were trying to access its hull, Mr Cali said. Helicopters and rescue boats from the coast guard, fire and rescue services and civil defence were involved in the operation, visible from shore.
Fisherman Francesco Cefalu said he saw the flares from shore at about 4.30am and quickly headed to the scene, but when he arrived the Basian had already sunk, with only cushions, timber and other items from the superyacht floating in the water.
“But we haven’t found any of the rest of them,” he said from the port a few hours later. He said he immediately notified the Coast Guard, which remained at the scene for three hours but found no survivors. “We think all the missing are still on board.”
He said he had woken up early to check the weather to see if he could go fishing, and speculated that a sudden water tornado had hit the yacht.
“Maybe the mast broke, maybe the bow anchor pulled it, I don’t know,” he said.
Kosina said the crew and passengers came from a variety of countries: In addition to the UK and the US, passengers and crew came from Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain.
The UK Maritime Accident Investigation Branch is sending a team of four inspectors to Italy to carry out a preliminary investigation, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was “providing consular assistance to a large number of British nationals and their families”.
Dutch foreign ministry spokesman Kasper Soetekou said the only passenger on board, a Dutch man, had been rescued and was in good health.
Once hailed as Britain’s technology tycoon, Lynch was acquitted in June of fraud and conspiracy charges related to Hewlett-Packard’s $11 billion acquisition of his company, Autonomy.
The acquittal followed an 11-week criminal trial in San Francisco that detailed HP’s 2011 acquisition of Autonomy, a business software company founded by Lynch.
The fraud charges marked a dramatic reversal of fortune for the entrepreneur who was once described as Britain’s Bill Gates, but who seemed worthy of the title after making an $800 million profit from the sale of Autonomy.
The acquittal exonerated Lynch, who had vehemently denied any wrongdoing and portrayed HP as a technology disaster.
“I look forward to returning to the UK and enjoying what I love most – my family and innovating in my field,” Lynch said in a statement after the verdict.
Built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi, the yacht has four double cabins, one triple cabin, one master suite, and accommodations for crew, and can accommodate a total of 12 passengers, according to Charter World and Yacht Charters.
The ship, which was named Salute when it flew under the Dutch flag, features a sleek, minimalist interior designed by French designer Rémi Tessier using light wood with Japanese accents, according to descriptions and photos on the charter site.
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Associated Press reporters Danica Kirka and Sylvia Hui contributed from London.