Two bodies were recovered from the doomed superyacht of the British billionaire Mike Lynch on Wednesday morning, shattering any sliver of hope that air pockets may have saved those missing.
Sources familiar with rescue efforts confirmed to The Independent that the bodies were removed from the Bayesian by dive teams, which have had to work in 12-minute shifts because of water pressure.
The Bayesian, an 184-foot sailing vessel, was struck by a waterspout and sank off the Sicilian coast around 5 a.m. Monday morning with 22 people aboard. That included Lynch, 59, as well as his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, who are both unaccounted for.
Four others were said to be among the missing on Monday, including the Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo. The body of the Canadian chef Recaldo Thomas was the first found on Monday.
It’s unclear whose bodies were recovered on Wednesday morning, but photos showed first responders carrying a green body bag. Fifteen people, including Lynch’s wife, survived the terrifying ordeal.
Lynch is said to have been on a celebratory trip with his legal team and loved ones after being acquitted in a U.S. fraud trial in June, which is why so many bankers and attorneys were aboard.
CCTV footage released Tuesday shown the Bayesian’s final moments afloat, with a Sicilian villa owner claiming that vessel disappeared entirely in less than 60 seconds—seemingly not enough time for everyone aboard to abandon ship.
“You can see the ship disappear,” he told Giornale Di Sicilia. “There was nothing that could be done for the boat. It disappeared in a very short time.”
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