(Bloomberg) -- Italian authorities are investigating how a luxury yacht was sunk by a violent storm off the coast of Sicily, leaving six people missing including UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch.
Prosecutors in Sicily opened a probe into the sinking of the yacht — named the Bayesian — and have spoken at length to a skipper who was on board, Italian media reported on Tuesday. They believe the most likely explanation is that the Bayesian’s mast snapped during an extraordinary bout of bad weather.
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch has also sent a team of inspectors to the area. Other people missing include Lynch’s daughter Hannah; Jonathan Bloomer, chair of Morgan Stanley International and insurer Hiscox; and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance.
The Bayesian, which at 56 meters (184 feet) long was one of the world’s largest sailing yachts, had been anchored in waters hit by a marine spout, a column of air and water mist that can cause intense damage. The boat was carrying 12 guests and 10 crew members.
Tornadoes and waterspouts are not uncommon in Italy during the late summer and autumn. “The warm Mediterranean waters and specific atmospheric conditions such as high vertical wind shear contribute to the formation of these weather phenomena,” said Andrew Pedrini, a meteorologist at weather forecaster Atmospheric G2.
Italy experiences more than 100 “tornadic events” a year, Pedrini said, but offshore marine spouts often go unreported, meaning it is difficult to reach consensus on a full number.
Nocturnal tornadoes can be even more deadly, according to Matthew Dross, a meteorologist at forecaster Maxar Technologies Inc. He said they are more difficult to assess and to respond to when they occur under darkness.
Local fishing vessels had remained in the port on Sunday night due to adverse weather forecasts, according to Italian media.
Commenting on whether the tragedy could have been foreseen and prevented, Salvo Cocina, head of Sicily’s Civil Protection Agency, said: “Predicted, perhaps, only at the level of probability — but it is impossible to calculate the position and time of the absolutely localized phenomenon.”
Record Temperatures
The Mediterranean reached a record temperature last week, with climate change bringing more frequent and intense storms.
“The sea is much warmer than past years and has a very strong potential and this increases the severity of weather events,” Cocina said.
Authorities in Termini Imerese, in Sicily, are seeking expert opinion on how a vessel as big as the Bayesian could succumb to a tornado, according to newspaper La Stampa. The report said prosecutors believe the sinking may have been caused by a so-called downburst, or a massive downward gust of wind.
Another possibility, albeit a less likely one, is that the mast may have had structural issues, La Stampa said. The Bayesian may have also been pushed on to a rock or shallow area of water, rupturing its hull and causing it to sink.
UK consular authorities are providing assistance, the Foreign Office said.
--With assistance from Priscila Azevedo Rocha, Eamon Akil Farhat and Flavia Rotondi.
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