LONDON — Divers in Italy have recovered the last missing body, believe to be that of Hannah Lynch, from the superyacht that sunk off the Sicilian coast, ABC News has learned.
Five bodies had been recovered by early Thursday morning but the body of the final missing passenger — believed to be Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of the yacht’s owner, British tech tycoon Mike Lynch – was located inside the yacht but was not able to be brought to shore.
Mike Lynch’s body is believed to have been among those already recovered from the yacht, though the identities of the dead have not been officially confirmed.
Rescue teams had been facing a “very hard” operation to find those still missing after the superyacht sunk on Monday, a spokesperson for the onsite fire brigade teams told ABC News.
Luca Cari said on Wednesday that the rescue operation for the people missing from the U.K.-flagged Bayesian was ongoing. The vessel was lost early on Monday in stormy weather around half a mile from the fishing village of Porticello, close to the city of Palermo.
Divers of the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian Corps. of Firefighters leave Porticello harbor near Palermo, to resume research for a last missing person on August 23, 2024, four days after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank. The body of UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch was recovered on August 22, 2024 from his sunken yacht off Sicily, as the search continued for the last of the six people missing. The Bayesian, which had 22 people aboard including 10 crew, was anchored some 700 metres from port before dawn when it was struck by a waterspout.
Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images
Divers had been operating inside the yacht for two days, Cari added. “But the job is very hard because there are large obstacles and [we] have to work in very narrow spaces.”
“It’s a long process and we can only operate in short spells,” said Cari. Divers have to be rotated constantly, with each only able to stay underwater for around 12 minutes, he said.
Two Americans — Christopher and Neda Morvillo — were among the missing, ABC News confirmed on Tuesday.
Christopher Morvillo is a partner at law firm Clifford Chance and represented Lynch in his recent fraud case brought by Hewlett Packard. He is a former assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Anne Elizabeth Judith Bloomer are also among the six missing passengers.
The final missing body from the sunken superyacht near Sicily has finally been recovered, bringing closure to a tragic maritime disaster that occurred over a month ago. The superyacht, named the “Lady M,” sank off the coast of Sicily on a stormy night, claiming the lives of all 12 passengers and crew members on board.
The recovery efforts were led by a team of divers and marine salvage experts who worked tirelessly to locate and retrieve the missing body from the wreckage of the sunken yacht. The operation was not without its challenges, as the wreckage was located at a depth of over 100 feet and was surrounded by debris and strong currents.
The recovery of the final missing body brings an end to a harrowing ordeal for the families and loved ones of those who perished in the tragic accident. It provides them with some closure and allows them to begin the process of grieving and healing.
The sinking of the “Lady M” has raised questions about safety regulations and oversight in the luxury yacht industry. It has sparked calls for stricter regulations and more rigorous safety standards to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
In the wake of this tragedy, authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the sinking and are working to determine if any negligence or wrongdoing played a role in the accident. The findings of the investigation will be crucial in ensuring that justice is served and that measures are put in place to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again.
As the recovery efforts come to a close and the investigation continues, our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident. May they find comfort and solace in knowing that their loved ones have been laid to rest, and may they find strength in the memories they shared with them.
