Body pulled from water and ‘several British missing’ as yacht sinks in Sicily

A child and the owner of the Bayesian superyacht are among those still missing, the captain of a nearby boat has said.

In an update to an earlier post, Karsten Borner told Reuters that the owner of the sunken ship and another child were among those missing.

The details of the owner are unknown but the yacht’s 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.

The Bayesian’s captain would not have moored if they had seen severe weather warnings, the chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council has claimed to The Independent.

Matthew Schanck said: “If the captain onboard saw severe weather warnings, I am confident the captain wouldn’t have moored. Also with it being a luxury yacht passenger, comfort is a huge part. The captain wouldn’t have anchored if the conditions were going to be unsafe or uncomfortable for the guests.

“Everything is unclear at the moment. A tornado is a freak incident.”

He said CCTV from the surrounding areas showing the masts suggests a large squall, which is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed that lasts a few minutes, could have impacted the vessel.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident.

A spokesperson for the company that manages the boat, Camper and Nicholsons International, said their priority is “assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew”.

The captain of a nearby boat has described the moment he picked up some of the survivors from the Bayesian.

Karsten Borner told Reuters that when the storm hit he turned his engine on to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the superyacht.

“We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” Mr Borner said.

He said that his crew then found some of the survivors on a life raft, including three who were seriously injured and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up.

He confirmed that “a little baby and the wife of the owner” were among the survivors. Describing the conditions, Mr Borner said the Bayesian “went flat on the water and then down.”

He continued: “There was a light and we saw that the ship was aside and then we saw a triangle. So I think she went back down.”

A video of the search and rescue operation has been released by the Sicilian emergency services.

The 35-year-old mother of the baby girl who was saved from the sinking yacht has told Italian media how she managed to board a lifeboat with 10 other people as the boat capsized.

Speaking to the Giornale Di Sicilia newspaper, she said: “For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea, then I immediately hugged her again amid the fury of the waves.

“I held her tightly, close to me, while the sea was stormy. Many were screaming. Luckily the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us managed to get on board.”

A baby, along with its mother, was reportedly among those rescued and taken to hospital after the superyacht ‘Bayesian’ capsized, according to Italian news outlet Corriere.

Fifteen people were rescued from the 55m (180ft) vessel, but a further six are still missing, while one man has died.

Bayesian, the yacht that capsized in Italy believed to be carrying British passengers, is listed for charter for up to 195,000 euros (about $215,000) a week on online sites.

She was built in 2008 by Italian company Perini Navi, while 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.

The vessel is 56 metres long, according to ship tracking website VesselFinder. It was known for its unusually single 75-meter (246-feet) mast, one of the world’s tallest made of aluminum.

It can accommodate 12 passengers in four double cabins, a triple and the master suite, plus crew accommodations, according to Charter World and Yacht Charters.

Bayesian, which previously was named the “Salute” when it flew under a Dutch flag, featured a sleek, minimalist interior of light wood with Japanese accents designed by the French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions and photos on the sites.

It completed a number of sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily.

Divers “saw bodies through the portholes” when they were searching the ‘Bayesian’ wreck, according to local media.

Corriere Della Sera reported that the head of the Civil Protection of Sicily, Salvo Cocina, said the firefighter divers saw the corpses as the search and rescue mission continues.