Shipwreck in Palermo: 6 Missing persons still unaccounted for – Were open portholes their doom?

The search continues at an unrelenting pace for the third day at the site where the luxury yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Palermo, resulting in the death of one passenger.

According to the Guardian, the six people who have been missing since the shipwreck of the yacht in the early hours of Monday are presumed dead. These include British businessman Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer, and lawyer Chris Morvillo, who had represented Lynch in his recent high-profile trial in the United States. The wives of both are also missing, as confirmed yesterday by the head of the Civil Protection Agency in Sicily to Italian media.

The British-flagged sailboat “Bayesian,” measuring 56 meters in length, was anchored just outside the port of Porticello when it was struck by a severe storm and sank within minutes. As reported in today’s Daily Mail, the Italian authorities have launched an investigation to determine whether there were portholes left open by the crew, causing the vessel to sink so quickly. Investigators will examine if appropriate measures were taken, given the weather forecasts on the fateful night, and if any of the crew members bear criminal responsibility.

Despite their persistent efforts yesterday, rescue team members were unable to access the interior of the sunken vessel.

Vincenzo Zagarola from the Italian Coast Guard confirmed that 36 hours after the start of the rescue operation, there has been no trace of the missing persons.

“We do not rule out the possibility that they are not inside the vessel, but we know it sank quickly. We estimate that the six missing people may not have had time to get out,” he said. When asked if there is still a chance they could be found alive, he responded: “Never say never, but the logical answer is no.”

The latest information indicates that divers operating at the wreck site have managed to locate a breach in the hull, which they are trying to widen to gain access to the interior of the vessel and the cabins where the six missing people are believed to be.

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