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Divers find five bodies in wreck of Sicily yacht
Divers searching the wreckage of a super yacht which sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday have found the bodies of five of the six missing passengers, and recovered four of them to shore.
The Italian Coastguard has not formally identified the bodies which have been brought up from the wreck of the Bayesian – but rescuers have spent days searching for four Britons and two Americans.
These include Mike Lynch – the UK tech entrepreneur whose wife owns the Bayesian yacht, his daughter Hannah Lynch, the chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer.
The first two bodies to be found were brought ashore to Porticello harbour on Wednesday afternoon. Hours later two more bodies were pulled from the water before the search was paused as night fell.
The Bayesian sank during freak weather early on Monday some 700m off the coast.
It is thought to have been struck by a tornado over the water – otherwise known as a waterspout – which caused the vessel to capsize and sink 50m (164ft) to the seabed.
A steady stream of boats were seen going in and out of Porticello throughout Wednesday, ferrying divers to and from the search site.
Dozens of emergency services staff had lined the small quayside as the bodies of those missing were returned by boat from the area of the wreck.
One body bag was seen being put in the back of an ambulance before the sound of sirens filed the harbour and the vehicle, escorted by two police cars, left the port.
Italian authorities have so far declined to identify those recovered, despite reports from local and international media on some of their names.
This is likely because they are waiting to bring back all six bodies before contacting the victims’ families and according to Italian law, the deceased must be formally identified by a family member, or a person close to the victims, before the deaths can be officially certified.
Earlier, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said there would be an investigation in due course, but the priority was to find everyone who was on board the Bayesian vessel.
Neda Morvillo, an American jewellery designer, and her husband Chris are also among the missing.
The Bayesian, which was 56m long and flying a British flag, was carrying 10 crew and 12 passengers when it sank.
Of the 22 people on board, 15 survived – including a British mother who described holding her baby girl above the surface of the sea to save her from drowning.
The body of the yacht’s chef, Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, was found on Monday.
Gareth Williams, a friend of Mr Thomas, told the BBC he had known the chef for 30 years as they had grown up together in Antigua, where Mr Thomas lived during yachting’s off-season.
The passengers aboard were guests of Mr Lynch – founder of the software giant Autonomy – and were reportedly there to celebrate his acquittal in a massive US fraud case.
Mr Lynch was acquitted in June of multiple fraud charges relating to the $11bn (£8.6bn) sale of Autonomy to the US computing giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
[BBC]
Inspections of the yacht’s internal hull also took place on Wednesday morning, while a team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) arrived in Sicily on Wednesday at the site.
The depth of the shipwreck has proved challenging for the rescue effort.
Italian rescue services said the team of specialist divers had been hampered by the fact the Bayesian is lying on its side at the bottom of the seabed, with its access points choked with debris.
Speaking before the bodies were recovered, professional diver Andy Goddard said conditions would be “pretty dark” on the wreck with very limited ambient light at that depth.
“You’re in this space and you’ve got stuff floating all around you, like being in a washing machine. It’s really dangerous for the diver,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
EPA
A military court in Pakistan has convicted 25 people for their role in violent protests following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country’s armed forces has said.
The court said it handed down sentences of between two to 10 years’ imprisonment in connection with attacks on military facilities last year.
Protests erupted nationwide in May 2023 after security forces arrested Khan during his appearance at the High Court on charges of corruption – allegations that he called politically motivated.
Thousands of Khan’s supporters stormed government buildings and military installations and the government responded with a crackdown on his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
At least 1,400 protesters were arrested last year, police said, but only about 100 of the people detained have faced military trials.
The army said full justice will only be served when the masterminds behind the protests are punished.
A Supreme Court ruling last year provisionally allowed military courts to try civilian suspects.
“All sentences announced by the military courts are disproportionate and excessive,” a spokesman for the PTI party said, adding that “these sentences are rejected”.
Amnesty International has said that trying civilians in military courts is “contrary to international law” and adds that it is “purely an intimidation tactic, designed to crack down on dissent”.
Pakistan’s army has heavily influenced the nuclear-armed country for most of its existence and is a crucial behind-the-scenes player.
[BBC]
Bangladesh Under 19s led by Sumaiya Akter will take on India Under 19s led by Niki Prasad in the Women’s Under 19 Asia Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on Sunday [22].
India Women Under 19s having beaten Nepal Women Under 19s in the group stage beat Sri Lanka Women Under 19s and Bangladesh Women Under 19s in the Super Four round to enter the final while Bangladesh Women Under 19s having beaten Sri Lanka Women Under 19s in the group stage beat beat Nepal Women Under19s in the Super Four round to enter the final
Captain Alyssa Healey made a successful return before Annabel Sutherland smashed her second consecutive century as Australia defeated New Zealand in a rain-affected second ODI at the Basin Reserve.
After Thursday’s opener in the three-match series was washed out on the same ground, Sutherland steadied Australia from a mid-innings wobble in seaming conditions to finish unbeaten on 105 from 81 balls. Healy played as a specialist batter and hit a crisp 34 off 32 at the top of the order, while Beth Mooney took the gloves during New Zealand’s innings.
Fresh off a commanding 110 in the series-finale against India at the WACA, Sutherland became the first batter to hit consecutive ODI centuries from No.5 and she made the tough batting conditions look easy to lift Australia to an imposing 291 for 7.
New Zealand faced an uphill task in their bid to achieve the second highest run chase in ODI cricket. Debutant Bella James made a brisk start and showcased her power hitting by pulling seamer Megan Schutt for six into the terraces.
But opening partner Suzie Bates, who earlier presented James with her cap, fell to quick Kim Garth in the sixth over when she edged to Ashleigh Gardner in the gully. There had been doubts over whether Gardner had gotten her fingers under a ball dipping low to the ground, but replays upheld the original soft decision.
James’ breezy 27 runs off 33 ended on the last ball of the powerplay when she tried to hit Garth over midwicket only for Alana King to take a well-judged catch running backwards.
When captain Sophie Devine nicked off Ellyse Perry, New Zealand slumped to 60 for 3 in the 16th over and the only threat for an inevitable Australia victory was the darkening skies above.
The inclement weather did not arrive until the 31st over, well after the 20-over minimum required for a result, with New Zealand at 122 for 5 and well short of the par score. Play was soon called off as Australia clinched a 14th straight ODI victory over their neighbours.
It continues Australia’s winning run since their T20 World Cup disappointment and follows their 3-0 ODI series whitewash against India at home.
After Devine elected to bowl under overcast skies, New Zealand did not make the most of the favourable conditions and were let down by ragged fielding. James, known as having a safe pair of hands, had a tough initiation in the field and dropped three catches.
But the most costly was when substitute fielder Jess Kerr was unable to take a tough catch low to her left at mid-off when Sutherland on 26. While quick Molly Penfold spilt a return catch when Sutherland was on 67, which denied her a maiden five-wicket haul. But she did produce a spirited performance to finish with an ODI career best of 4 for 46.
Devine was tactically astute, but her bowlers other than Penfold could not build enough pressure and Sutherland made them pay in the backend.
It’s a blow for New Zealand’s hopes of directly qualifying for the 2025 World Cup as they sit uneasily in sixth spot on the Women’s Championship table.
All eyes at the start of the game were on Healy, who made her international comeback as a specialist batter after she ruptured her planter fascia against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup. She subsequently missed the India series having sustained a knee injury in the early stages of the WBBL season.
Having memorably made a century in her international debut series, 21-year-old opener Georgia Voll unluckily had to make way as Healy returned to the top of the order alongside Phoebe Litchfield.
Healy, who has been practicing hard in the nets in recent weeks, was determined to make up for lost time and smashed a second ball boundary off quick Rosemary Mair, who did not pitch the ball up consistently enough with the new ball.
Penfold also struggled in her initial spell as Healy capitalised with good timing and she scored 34 of Australia’s first 41 runs. But she then mistimed a short delivery from Penfold to midwicket and punched her bat in frustration before trudging off the field.
The game changed as Litchfield and Perry struggled after the powerplay as Penfold returned to the attack. She had Perry gloving a climbing delivery before luring Mooney into driving and a thick outside edge was caught by James at gully.
Much like against India in Perth, it was left to Sutherland and Gardner to rebuild and they once again stood up under pressure with a 50-run partnership.
Having returned to form with a half-century in her last innings, a confident Gardner used her feet to attack the spinners until she was deceived by a looping delivery from offspinner Eden Carson that turned sharply past the bat and crashed into the stumps.
Penfold, who had taken just five wickets in her previous 12 ODIs, was left frustrated when James dropped Tahlia McGrath at extra cover before taking care of business herself by clean bowling Australia’s vice-captain for 34 in the 41st over.
But Sutherland took over in the latter stages and made New Zealand pay for their sloppy fielding as she motored towards her third ODI century. She launched Carson for two towering sixes down the ground before sealing her ton off 78 balls in the final over.
Sutherland fittingly finished the innings with a boundary as her stunning rise in international cricket continued.
Brief scores:
Australia Women 291 for 7 in 50 overs (Annabel Sutherland 105*, Phoebe Litchfield 25, Ellyse Perry 29, Tahlia McGrath 34; Molly Penfold 4-42, Eden Carson 2-65) beat New Zealand Women 122 for 5 in 30.1 overs (Amelia Kerr 38, Bella James 27; Kim Garth 2-17) by 65 runs via DLS
[Cricinfo]
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