Decisive day in the search for the missing from the sunken sailboat off Porticello

 Today might be a crucial day in the search for those missing from the sailboat that sank off the coast of Porticello two days ago, hit by a sudden waterspout.

The vessel sank while it was about 300 meters from the shore. For two days, divers have been trying to enter the sailboat, now lying 50 meters deep, in search of the missing. This operation is particularly challenging, while authorities are trying to decipher exactly what happened.

Meanwhile, the survivors speak out and describe the dramatic moments of the shipwreck. It all happened in seconds, as also shown by a video recorded by a security camera.

Divers: "A Mini Concordia"
The fire brigade's cave divers described the sailboat Bayesian as "a mini Concordia." The dives, which can only last 12 minutes due to the depth, are extremely complicated. The confined spaces inside the sailboat, combined with the presence of electrical cables and other obstacles, make progress and the search for alternative routes difficult. "We have identified a glass window through which we could enter, but it is locked from the inside and is 3 centimeters thick," explained Luca Cari, head of emergency communication for the general command of the Fire Brigade. The bodies of the missing might be trapped inside the vessel, including British tycoon Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and other prominent figures like the president of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer.

A Gap Opened
Fire Brigade and Coast Guard divers managed to open a gap in the hull of the Bayesian, at a depth of 50 meters. This gap might allow entry into the vessel, where the bodies of six people still missing are believed to be trapped. The wreck lies on the seabed, and during their first dive, divers already recovered the body of the cook, Ricardo Tomas. However, access to the rest of the vessel has been hindered by furnishings on the command deck, further complicating the recovery operations.

Theories
The hull of the sailboat appears intact, with no signs of collision with rocks or other boats. Fire Brigade divers from Cagliari, Sassari, and Rome are operating at a depth of 49 meters and have confirmed that the main mast is intact for the first 50 meters and that the sailboat is tilted 90 degrees to the right. However, the mystery of the sinking persists.

The Termini Imerese prosecutor's office is gathering evidence and testimonies to reconstruct the events that led to the tragedy. The sailboat, a 56-meter super-yacht, sank rapidly, leaving only a few moments for the crew to launch an emergency flare. The Bayesian, registered under the British flag and owned by the Isle of Man-based company Revtom, was sailing towards the Aeolian Islands after crossing the Mediterranean. However, the situation deteriorated around 5 AM on August 19, when a waterspout struck the yacht.

The Waterspout and Climate Change

The sinking of the Bayesian has been described as an extremely rare event and difficult to predict accurately. Salvo Cocina, head of Sicilian Civil Protection, linked the tragedy to climate change, stating that sea warming has intensified the severity of weather events. "Predicting the event was perhaps only possible on a probabilistic level, but it was impossible to calculate the exact position and time," Cocina wrote on his Facebook profile, explaining that the waterspout that overtook the yacht represents a further sign of rapid climate changes.

Cocina emphasized that a nearby Dutch boat managed to rescue 15 people, including a baby girl less than a year old, who was discharged from the Children's Hospital the next day. "Being in the wrong place at the wrong time" is the summary of what happened, according to Cocina, who warned of the need to adapt to new climate scenarios.