Palermo yacht sinking hell - 'screams, lost baby and missing people trapped inside'

A horrific storm close to the capital of Palermo in Italy sank a luxury yacht named Bayesian, believed to be owned by the family of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, early this morning

Six people, including four Brits, remain missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Italy this morning.

In the early hours of Monday, 22 people were onboard the 56-metre yacht, named Bayesian, when it was suddenly hit by a tornado. The boat is believed to be owned by the family of British tycoon Mike Lynch, who is among those yet to be found. Witnesses say there was a party taking place onboard and it was anchored near the port.

Fifteen people have so far been rescued and one person has tragically died. Amid the tragedy has emerged the miraculous survival of a one-year-old British girl. Divers from Italian emergency services are continuing to look for those who have not been accounted for - including a Canadian, two Americans and one crew member, a cook.

Vessel sank in storm

The superyacht capsized at around 5am off Palermo and was flying a British flag, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic. The Italian fire service posted the news on X at 10am local time: "#Palermo, shipwreck of vessel off the coast of Porticello, 15 people rescued, 7 reported missing: from dawn, divers from the #vigilidelfuoco engaged in the search. Wreck identified at 50 meters depth, speleo divers arriving."

It stated 90 minutes later: "#Palermo, shipwreck of a vessel in Porticello: the lifeless body of a man was recovered by the #divers of the #vigilidelfuoco outside the wreck. The search operations continue with the coordination at sea of the @guardiacostiera."

Divers have recovered the body of a man, reported to be the cook, who was of Canadian origins but was a resident in Antigua.

Witnesses have said the vessel was still at anchor in front of the port of Porticello when the tornado struck and the storm broke the large sail mast which is believed to have led the boat to capsize. A man in Porticello said: "That vessel was all lit up. At around 4:30 in the morning, it was gone.

"A beautiful vessel where there had been a party. A normal holiday day spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy. The vessel was not far from the port. It would have taken very little to raise the anchor and head for the port. Evidently they were surprised by the storm that suddenly hit and they were unable to avoid the sinking."

Saved by nearby ship

Fifteen people were saved by the ship Sir Robert Baden Powell, which was anchored by the stricken vessel. Captain Karsten Borner of the Dutch ship said that it was able to hold its position in the sea using engines during the storm but then the saw the Bayesian had disappeared.

"We realised that the boat next to ours was no longer there. We saw a red signal flare coming from the area of the boat, so my first officer and I climbed into the tender and went to provide assistance: we recovered 15 survivors, including a little girl," the captain said.

"After raising the alarm, the coast guard units also arrived. We heard screams, we continued to search the area but we did not find anyone other than the 15 survivors who had already been rescued."

There were reportedly mainly British people onboard but also a New Zealander, a Sri Lankan citizen, two Anglo-French and an Irishman. Survivors were first taken to Porticciolo and five people are now being looked after at an emergency point in Bagheria.

Baby 'lost in the waves'

A British baby called Sophie was miraculously saved after getting lost in the waves. Her mum Charlotte told a local outlet: "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."

Sophie was taken to the Children's Hospital in Palermo as a precaution, along with her mum who has superficial injuries - she was given chest stitches for a slight graze. Sophie's father was taken to the Civic Hospital. The family are believed to have been on holiday with other relatives as well as work colleagues from London.

"They are all in a good condition ," said the head of the emergencies at the paediatric hospital, Domenico Cipolla. "We managed to get the parents to talk on the phone, with doctors and nurses all emotional, especially with the little girl fine, the outlook is fine and we are carrying out tests only as a precaution."

'Corpses through the potholes'

There have been tragic reports of divers seeing "corpses through the portholes" from Salvo Cocina, the head of the Civil Protection of Sicily, speaking to Corriere della Sera.

Some survivors have been taken to the Domina Zagarella hotel in Santa Flavia. "We are safe, we just arrived at the hotel. But we were very scared," reportedly said one person. The mayor of Santa Flavia, Giuseppe D'Agostino, and several local councillors also went to the hotel to see them. Others who were on the ship were taken to nearby Termini Imerese.

'Britain's Bill Gates' missing

British tech entrepreneur Mr Lynch is understood to be among those missing, while his wife Angela Bacares is among those rescued. The business tycoon made a vast fortune in the IT industry, having co-founded Autonomy in 1996 and building it into a leading UK firm before it was acquired by computing giant Hewlett-Packard.

He sold the firm for an eyebrow-raising $11 billion (£8.6 billion) in 2011, netting himself £500 million. He has been lauded as "Britain's Bill Gates" thanks to his business acumen. Mr Lynch was awarded an OBE for his services to enterprise in 2006 and was appointed to the science and technology council in 2011. While he was also elected as a fellow to the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2008 and the Royal Society in 2014.