Eerie footage showed the moment the yacht carrying Brit billionaire Mike Lynch and 21 others. started to sink.
Luxury 56-metre yacht the Bayesian capsized and sank on the coast of Italy on Monday amid a powerful storm. CCTV footage from a villa 200 metres away from the incident has emerged and shows the £14 million yacht slowly disappearing amid heavy rain.
In footage, lights can be seen on the yacht as the tragedy unfolded near Porticello, Sicily. Villa owner Giornale Di Sicilia said he went to check his cameras as soon as he heard the news.
READ MORE: School of Mike Lynch’s daughter, 18, desperate for news as she’s feared dead on Bayesian
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(Image: PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
“In just sixty seconds, you can see the ship disappear,” Mr Di Scalia said. “Of about twenty cameras installed in the house, only one was not disturbed by the wind and rain. You can clearly see what is happening. There was nothing that could be done for the boat. It disappeared in a very short time.”
Now, some experts have suggested it is possible some onboard the vessel could be relying on airpockets to survive due to how quickly the Bayesian sank.. Specialist drivers are now frantically fighting their way through blockages in the 50m deep wreck in an effort to find the missing six people. Vincenzo Zagarola, a spokesman for the coast guard, said they believe they may still be inside the yacht, as it sank in just a few minutes.
(Image: Supplied)
Authorities have already confirmed one man has died and six others remain missing. Fifteen people, including a one-year-old baby, were saved by nearby ship Sir Robert Baden Powell, which was anchored close by.
Lynch is yet to be found, along with his 18-year-old Hannah. His family is believed to be the owner of the Bayesian, which went down on Monday morning at around 5am near Palermo, Sicily.
(Image: PA)
Rescue efforts are in a critical stage, engineer Nick Sloane told Sky News. Mr Sloane, who worked on the salvage operation involving the capsized Costa Concordia, said rescuers have a “small window”.
“They’ve got a very small window of time to try and find people stuck inside with hopefully an air pocket, and they could be rescued,” he explained. “You’ve got a maximum of two to three days to try to get someone out, so the next 24 hours are critical.”
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “If the yacht is on its side, it might have more air pockets than if it’s upright. She’s got quite a large keel, and that will deflect and put her on her side, I’m sure.”
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