Italian coast guard officials have confirmed the recovery of two bodies from the sunken superyacht off the coast of Sicily. The yacht, identified as the U.K.-flagged Bayesian, sank early Monday amid stormy weather about half a mile from the fishing village of Porticello, near Palermo. Four passengers remain missing.
The two bodies brought to the surface have yet to be identified, as rescue teams continue to face a “very hard” operation, according to Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the onsite fire brigade teams. “For us, it remains a rescue operation,” Cari stated, emphasizing the urgency of locating the missing individuals.
The Bayesian was carrying 21 people at the time of the incident, with 15 already rescued and one body previously recovered. Among those still missing are two Americans, Christopher and Neda Morvillo, ABC News confirmed. Christopher Morvillo is a partner at the law firm Clifford Chance and had represented the yacht’s owner, British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, in a recent fraud case.
Cari noted that divers have been working inside the yacht for two days, but the task remains challenging due to large obstacles and narrow spaces. “It’s a long process, and we can only operate in short spells,” Cari explained, adding that divers can only stay underwater for around 12 minutes at a time.
Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Anne Elizabeth Judith Bloomer, are also among the six missing passengers, along with Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.
The search continues as rescue teams race against time, hoping for a breakthrough in the ongoing recovery efforts.
