British superyacht Bayesian resurfaces for 1st time since August sinking ahead of recovery
Italian Coast Guard's Luigi Dattilo patrol boat, left, assists the multi-purpose floating work barge Hebo Lift 2 monitoring the stretch of sea off Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
ROME — The British superyacht that sank off Sicily last August killing seven people resurfaced for the first time Friday as salvage recovery crews readied it to be hauled ashore for further investigation.
The white top and blue hull of the 56-metre (184-foot) Bayesian emerged from the depths of the sea in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge. The coast guard said the actual recovery was scheduled to begin Saturday morning.
A spokesman for TMC Maritime, which is conducting the recovery operation, said the vessel has been slowly raised from the seabed, 50 metres (165-feet) down, over the past three days to allow the steel lifting straps, slings and harnesses to be secured under the keel.
What became visible for the first time Friday on the surface of the water was the top of the passenger area of the Bayesian where passengers would sit, known as the accommodation area, said a spokesman for TMC Maritime, David Wilson.
The British-flagged luxury superyacht sank Aug. 19 off Porticello near Palermo during a violent storm, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter and five others. Fifteen people survived, including the captain and all crew members except the chef.
Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation.
When it resurfaced, the Bayesian was missing its 72-metre (236-foot) mast, which was cut down and left on the seabed for future removal. The mast had to be detached to allow the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position that would allow the craft to be surfaced, TMC Maritime said earlier this week.
British investigators said in an interim report issued last month that the yacht was knocked over by 'extreme wind' and couldn't recover. The report stated that the Bayesian had chosen the site where it sank as shelter from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots at the time of the sinking and 'violently' knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds.
Lynch had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family and the people who had defended him at trial.
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
RCMP finally discovers identify of mysterious 1985 Air India bomb-testing suspect
Article content BANTRY, Ireland — Police in British Columbia have finally identified the mysterious man who helped test a bomb on Vancouver Island a few weeks before the Air India bombing on June 23, 1985. Article content RCMP Asst. Commissioner David Teboul told Postmedia that the previously unidentified suspect in the mass murder case recently died without ever facing charges. Article content Article content He said he couldn't release the name of the man due to privacy laws even though he's now dead. Article content Teboul and several other RCMP officers are part of the Canadian delegation here to mark the 40th anniversary of the Air India bombing. Dozens of relatives of victims are arriving to attend the service at a memorial to the 329 people who died when a B.C.-made bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland. Article content Article content Teboul, who is the commander of federal policing in B.C., said that despite the acquittals of two key bombing suspects in 2005, investigators have continued to work on the file 'to tie up some loose ends and discover more truth that's independent of judicial process.' Article content That's what lead them to uncover the identity of the mystery suspect, dubbed Mr. X, who travelled to Duncan on June 4, 1985, with terror plot mastermind Talwinder Singh Parmar. The two men then joined up with electrician Inderjit Singh Reyat. Article content Article content The trio went into the woods and tested a bomb all while they were being followed by agents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The agents heard the blast but thought it was a gunshot. Article content Article content Parmar, founder of the Babbar Khalsa Sikh separatist group, was killed by police in Punjab in 1992 before he could be charged in the Air India terrorism plot. Article content Reyat was convicted of manslaughter for building another bomb that exploded at Japan's Narita Airport 54 minutes before the Air India blast. Two baggage handlers were killed. And he pleaded guilty to assisting Mr. X and Parmar build the Air India bomb. Article content Article content Teboul said that while there is an continuing investigation 'there's very little realistic chance of seeing this matter go to another trial.'
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Police seek witnesses to hit-and-run collision that killed motorcyclist in Montreal
Quebec provincial police (SQ) are searching for witnesses to a fatal hit-and-run where a motorcyclist was killed on a highway in Montreal. Police believe that a vehicle struck the rider after he was thrown from his bike after colliding with a concrete wall on June 6 at around 9:45 p.m. on Highway 15 northbound just before the Turcot Interchange (exit 63). 'The investigation suggests that the motorcyclist was thrown into the opposite [southbond] lane and was then struck by a vehicle, leaving debris on the road,' the SQ said in a news release. 'However, the driver of that vehicle did not remain at the scene.' The man in his 20s was unconscious when transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 'Investigators are seeking to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the incident, particularly the occupant(s) of the vehicle involved in the incident,' the SQ said. Those with information on the crash are asked to call 1-800-659-4264.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
N.S. man, 28, dies after truck leaves road, lands in brook in Lunenburg County
A 28-year-old man has died after his truck landed upside down in a brook in Lunenburg County. The RCMP and emergency crews responded to the single-vehicle crash on Italy Cross Road in Crousetown, N.S., around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. 'Officers learned that a Ram 3500 had left the roadway and come to rest upside down and submerged in the Wallace Brook,' said the RCMP in a news release Friday. The driver, a 28-year-old man from Middlewood, N.S., died at the scene. No one else was inside the vehicle. Italy Cross Road was closed for several hours. It has since reopened. Police say the investigation is ongoing. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
