A body has been found after a luxury yacht – carrying Irish citizens and other tourists – sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily, authorities have said.
Fifteen people were rescued from the 55m superyacht, named Bayesian, but another six are still missing.
One of those missing has been named as technology tycoon Mike Lynch, the Essex-born son of a firefighter father from Co Cork and a nurse mother from Co Tipperary.
Mr Lynch’s daughter is also among those missing, local authorities have said.
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Salvatore Cocina, director general of Sicily’s civil protection agency, told the BBC that 18-year-old Hannah Lynch was missing, adding that the rescue operation would continue overnight. Mr Lynch’s wife was among those rescued, according to local media, alongside a baby and its mother.
A body, believed to be that of the vessel’s cook Ricardo Thomas, has been found and police divers are trying to reach the hull of the ship, which is resting at a depth of 50 metres.
An Irish citizen injured aboard the Bayesian has been named as 29-year-old Sasha Murray who received a wound to her right foot.
According to the Italian-based Corriere della Sera outlet, other injured passengers included Angela Baccares (57) and Ayla Ronald (36) from England; James Calfield (51) from New Zealand; Myin Kyaw Htun (39) from Myanmar; and French citizen and boat captain Matthew Griffith (22). Media reports in Italy said they suffered a variety of injuries including trauma and abrasions requiring stitches.
Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American, Italian news website la Reppublica said.
Local media said a fierce stormbattered the area overnight.
The yacht capsized at about 5am off Palermo and was flying a British flag, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic.
Speaking earlier, Filippo Tripoli, the mayor of Bagheria in Sicily, said: “This morning, off the coast of Santa Flavia, a foreign boat sank due to bad weather, 15 people recovered and seven missing.
“Already all the police forces and emergency services are operational and our Red Cross volunteers are present.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said it is aware of the incident and is providing consular assistance. “As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of any specific case,” she said.
Karsten Borner, captain of a nearby boat, told journalists “a little baby and the wife of the owner” of the Bayesian were among the survivors.
He said his crew took on board some survivors who were on a life raft, including three who were seriously injured.
One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told la Reppublica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.
“I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning,” she said. “It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.”
Charlotte and Sofia are being treated in hospital, as is Sofia’s father, James Emsley.
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.”
Bayesian completed a number of sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily, according to ship-tracking website VesselFinder.
The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites. She was built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi. Her registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd.
There is little publicly-available online information about the company, which appears to be based on the Isle of Man. – Agencies