The father of a passenger aboard the superyacht that was sunk by a storm in Sicily has opened up about the alarming text message he received from her.
Early on Monday morning (August 19) around 5:00am, a fierce storm struck near the coast of Sicily causing the luxury yacht, the Bayesian, to sink.
There were 22 people on board, and as of now, six individuals are still missing.
The superyacht was manned by 10 crew members and carried 12 passengers. Among them were Mike Lynch, often referred to as the ‘British Bill Gates,’ his wife, their 18-year-old daughter, and members of the legal team that represented Lynch. This team helped Lynch clear 15 counts of fraud following the $11.1 billion acquisition of his company Autonomy by Silicon Valley giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef, has been confirmed dead. So far, 15 people have been rescued, while six remain unaccounted for.
The message from a surviving passenger has now been disclosed by her father.
Ayla Ronald, originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, was on the superyacht as a member of Lynch’s legal team, her father Lin Ronald told The Telegraph.
He explained: “[They] were invited to go sailing as a result of the success in the recent United States court case.”
Following the storm and the yacht’s sinking, Lin received a harrowing message from his daughter stating: “She has said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive.”
One death has been confirmed, and when asked about the chances of finding others alive, the Italian Coastguard’s Vincenzo Zagarola told Sky News: “Never say never, but reasonably the answer should be not.”
He added: “We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.
“Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.
“We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.”
Local media have reported that rescue teams managed to penetrate the superyacht’s hull by breaking a window.
According to Giornale Di Sicilia, divers have accessed the hull but have yet to reach the cabins, potentially due to blocked entrances.
Investigations are now underway by Italian officials and the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch to determine why the Bayesian sank.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.