A tornado sank a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily: a British tycoon and 5 other people are missing

On August 19, rescuers carried out a search operation: six people, including British technology tycoon Mike Lynch, went missing after a luxury yacht was caught in a tornado and sank off the coast of Sicily. One person out of 22 on board died, writes CNN.

Photo: Ig0rzh | Dreamstime.com

The ship, according to a representative of the Italian Coast Guard, fell into a tornado zone at about 5:00 on August 19. The yacht was anchored about half a mile from the port of Porticello. Among the missing are four British and two Americans.

A source speaking on condition of anonymity told CNN that Lynch, the founder of software giant Autonomy, was among the passengers on the yacht.

Fifteen people were rescued, including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares. One child was taken to the children's hospital in Palermo. According to the mayor's office, eight people were hospitalized. One of the bodies was found on the hull of the yacht, the coast guard said.

On the subject: This year's hurricane season will break several records: 25 named storms will hit the Atlantic

A small waterspout (one of several types of tornadoes) formed over the area on the morning of August 19, according to a report from the European Weather Database. Severe storms across Sicily brought heavy rain on the evening of 8 August. In Brolo, east of Palermo, more than 4mm of rain fell in less than 100 hours.

Forecasters, according to a coast guard spokesman, warned of possible strong winds and storms throughout the southern region of Italy.

One of the survivors, 35-year-old Charlotte, told Italian news agency ANSA how she fought to save her one-year-old daughter Sofia when heavy waves sank the yacht.

“For a couple of seconds I let go of the child from my arms, then grabbed and hugged him again amid the raging waves. After that, she held on tightly while the sea was stormy,” she told reporters. “A lot of people were screaming.”

The captain of the yacht, according to a representative of the Italian coast guard, is one of the survivors.

The 56-metre Bayesian, which flies the British flag, had mostly British passengers and crew, as well as two Anglo-French, one Irish and one Sri Lankan. New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told CNN that two of its citizens were also on the yacht, but were not among those missing. The nationality of the deceased has not been disclosed.

The Italian fire brigade said its divers reached the hull of the yacht at a depth of 49 meters below sea level. It sent helicopters to support the search operation.

The captain of a nearby vessel said he turned on the engine to avoid crashing into the Bayesian, Reuters reported, as severe storms raged in the area.

“There were strong gusts of wind this morning and we had to start the engine to keep the ship in a safe position,” he told reporters on August 19. “When the storm ended, we noticed that the ship that was nearby had disappeared.”

The UK's Maritime Accident Investigation Bureau (MAIB) is sending a team of four inspectors to Palermo to carry out a preliminary assessment of the sunken yacht. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not say when the group was expected to arrive in Sicily.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants, and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple read it all on ForumDaily New Y

British tycoon among missing

Lynch, a British entrepreneur who was among the yacht's missing passengers, has been in legal trouble since 2011. He sold his company to technology firm Hewlett-Packard (HP) for $11 billion.

In June, he was acquitted of fraud charges by a jury in San Francisco. He was accused of trying to exaggerate Autonomy's income. The company is based on pioneering research from the University of Cambridge. Autonomy became the UK's largest software company and was one of the most reliable and stable blue chip companies. Lynch himself advised the British government on technology and innovation.

Data from marine information service Equasis shows that the yacht is owned by Revtom Limited, a company registered in the Isle of Man. Revtom Limited's latest annual report for April lists the owner's name as Bacares.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Plane crash in Brazil: 62 people died - the cause could have been icing on the plane

Space station debris falls on Florida house

A woman from Florida found a message in a bottle: the letter was written 79 years ago

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.