Superyacht that killed UK billionaire and daughter brought ashore for investigation
Tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were among those killed when the superyacht sank off Sicily on August 19.
Tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s superyacht has been taken to the town where British and Italian investigators will carry out a full probe into the sinking.
Seven people died when the Bayesian sank off Sicily on August 19 including billionaire Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18. The vessel was held above the water by one of Europe’s most powerful floating sea cranes, which set off from the fishing village Porticello at around 1.10pm local time.
Superyacht raised from sea
It was held in front of the crane as it moved. The vessel arrived in Termini Imerese, a town around 12 milies away at just after 3pm on Sunday. It will then be moved into a specially manufactured steel cradle, which has a tarpaulin underneath for pollution prevention.
Salvage workers on site, not accompanying the vessel to port, are conducting a “full sweep” of the seabed near Porticello for any potential debris, a project insider said. Italian prosecutors previously said raising and examining the yacht for evidence would provide key information for its investigation into the sinking. It will also aid the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report on what happened.
Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator, previously told the PA news agency: “When the wreck is brought ashore, we’ll be completing a full examination of the wreck and we’ll be finding out all of the elements that might have contributed to the safety of the vessel.”
Further details such as “escape routes” will be included in its final report on the sinking, according to Mr Graves, who added: “Once we get access to the vessel we’ll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events.”
The vessel was originally expected to be raised last month but salvage efforts were delayed after a diver died during underwater work on May 9, prompting greater use of remote-controlled equipment. About 70 specialist personnel had been mobilised to Porticello from across Europe to work on the recovery operation.
Bayesian tragedy
Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals.
Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. Mr Lynch and his daughter were said to have lived in the vicinity of London and the Bloomers lived in Sevenoaks, Kent.
