Divers resumed a search this morning for survivors after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday.
Six people including the software tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah, remain unaccounted for, as rescue teams have struggled to reach inside the yacht.
A Reuters photographer saw coast guard rescue vessels leave Porticello early today to head for the site of the incident.
Lorenzo Tondo reporting from Porticello
A search for six missing individuals continues in Porticello, as Carabinieri patrol boats are supporting coast guard crews and firefighters’ divers.
Rescuers say they have breached the sailboat’s hull. A cabin has been located, but access is currently blocked by furniture and other materials.
Meanwhile, investigators are questioning witnesses and survivors.
The sailboat’s captain, James Cutfield, 51, was interrogated for over two hours.
The Port Authority has opened an investigation – in addition to an ongoing investigation by the public prosecutor of Termini Imerese – to verify whether all adequate safety measures had been taken by the crew.
Efforts to locate the missing people have been hampered by “very confined” spaces inside the wreck, fire department spokesman Luca Cari said, Reuters reported.
The Italian coast guard also said it was using a remotely operated vehicle to inspect the seabed and take underwater pictures.
My colleague Matthew Weaver has a longer report on John Gummer’s interview this morning about his friend Mike Lynch.
The former Conservative cabinet minister, now Lord Deben, spoke of Lynch’s hopes following his acquittal in the US on fraud charges. He said of Lynch:
He came back to be ready to start again. He made such a contribution to Britain. His companies have put British IT in the forefront, and he was going to do it again, and we pray that he can do it again.”
You can read the full story here
Our video team have produced a report on the emergence of CCTV showing the yacht apparently disappearing into the darkness during a sudden and severe storm.
A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) have arrived in Porticello, the PA news agency reported, adding that they are expected to carry out a “preliminary assessment” of the site on Wednesday.
The Italian Coastguard said the MAIB are not involved in the search for the missing people and that it did not request assistance.
Inspections of the sunken yacht’s hull have taken place this morning, the PA news agency reports.
Fire crews said they are accessing the yacht through natural entrances. The Italian Coastguard has said that remotely controlled underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.
The Conservative politician John Selwyn Gummer has been interviewed by former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson on her morning show on Times Radio about his friend Mike Lynch.
Gummer, who now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Deben, said it had been “the beginning of a new life” for Lynch following his acquittal on fraud charges in the US in June.
Gummer said it was “disgraceful” that the software mogul had been extradited on what the peer described as “trumped-up charges” and said following his acquittal he had been hoping to campaign against “one-sided rules” that had meant he faced trial in the US.
The politician, who lived near Lynch, said he “carried his immense knowledge and learning lightly” and “it was a joy to have him in his community”.
Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, is also missing and Gummer paid tribute to Lynch’s family saying they had supported him through the court case.
The others missing are Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive director at Lynch’s company Autonomy, his wife, Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo, one of Lynch’s lawyer’s and his wife, Neda Morvillo. Gummer said it was typical of Lynch to show his gratitude to those who had helped him by inviting them on holiday.
Divers resumed a search this morning for survivors after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday.
Six people including the software tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah, remain unaccounted for, as rescue teams have struggled to reach inside the yacht.
A Reuters photographer saw coast guard rescue vessels leave Porticello early today to head for the site of the incident.