The operation to recover the wreck of the luxury yacht that sank during a storm while anchored in Italy last year, resulting in the deaths of 7 people, is set to begin on May 3.
A written statement from the Italian Coast Guard announced that the operation to retrieve the yacht "Bayesian," which sank in a storm off the coast of Porticello, on the northern shore of Sicily Island, on August 19, 2024, will start on Saturday, May 3, when the floating cranes arrive at the site. The yacht lies at a depth of 50 meters (164-foot).
The statement also noted that the wreck recovery would take approximately 20 to 25 days. Before the wreck is recovered, the ship's mast will be cut underwater.
The statement further mentioned that after the wreck and the cut mast are brought ashore, judicial authorities overseeing the investigation into the yacht accident would conduct their examination.
The operation will be carried out under the supervision of the Palermo Port Authority and the Coast Guard, with the wreck recovery area expected to be closed to navigation.
The luxury yacht "Bayesian," anchored off Porticello, a town 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Palermo, Italy, sank on the morning of August 19, 2024, at around 5:00 a.m. local time, during a storm.
With the help of nearby vessels, 15 of the 22 people aboard the "Bayesian" were rescued in the initial phase, one body was recovered, and six others were reported missing.
The missing individuals included British billionaire businessman Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer, President of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife Anne Elizabeth Judith Bloomer, as well as Lynch's American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.
The bodies of the six missing people were found following search efforts, which continued until August 23, 2024.
The public prosecutor's office in Termini Imerese launched an investigation into the incident, and a team of experts and inspectors from the UK arrived in Sicily to investigate the case.
