Divers continuing their search of the sunken luxury yacht off Sicily’s coast have discovered five bodies, though only four have been recovered so far, Sicily’s civil protection agency head Salvatore Cocina reported. The search operations have been paused for the day and are set to resume on Thursday.
The boat sank in a severe storm in the early hours of Monday, with those missing including British billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
The yacht sank following a tornado off the coast of the Sicilian capital Palermo. The 50-metre luxury boat, named Bayesian, had 22 people on board when it sank in the early hours of Monday, with four Britons among the six missing, according to local media.
The yacht sank as a fierce storm battered the area overnight, and was flying a British flag, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic.
Earlier today, two bodies were brought to shore from the yacht, with two additional bodies located inside the capsized vessel. The bodies were transported to Porticello near Palermo in black body bags, carried by a fire brigade boat. Divers and rescue teams have been working inside the yacht's hull since Monday, with their time limited to 8-10 minutes per dive due to challenging conditions.
* The Guardian and the Independent contributed to this article.