Catastrophic Sinking of Luxury Yacht in Sicily: Tech Tycoon Among Victims

Seven people, including British tech mogul Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley's Jonathan Bloomer, died after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank off Sicily's northern coast. The vessel, hit by a violent storm, sank rapidly in just two minutes. Experts believe a combination of open portholes and human errors led to the tragedy.

ROME, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Seven individuals, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley's Jonathan Bloomer, perished after the luxury yacht belonging to Lynch's family sank off Sicily's northern coast on Monday.

The Bayesian, a 56-metre British-flagged superyacht, went down shortly before 5 am after being hit by a violent storm near the port of Porticello, Palermo. Despite the coast guard's weather forecast, the storm was more severe than anticipated, with some locals reporting a waterspout of exceptional force.

A nearby yacht's captain, Karsten Borner, mentioned that he didn't know if the Bayesian's crew managed to activate its engines, as the yacht sank within two minutes. Experts suggest a mix of open portholes and human errors contributed to the rapid sinking. The Bayesian featured the world's tallest aluminum mast, which remained intact during the wreck. The CEO of the Italian Sea Group, Giovanni Costantino, asserted the sinking resulted from human errors and could have been prevented if standard procedures were followed.

(With inputs from agencies.)