Divers find 2 bodies during search of superyacht wreckage after it sank off Sicily, 4 more remain

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. It's up to four now.

Four bodies found in sunken superyacht, officials say
Divers were photographed bringing body bags ashore.


Italian divers bring the body of one of the victims of the Bayesian ashore Aug. 21. The sailing yacht was hit by a sudden storm and sank early Monday while at anchor off the Sicilian village of Porticello near Palermo, in southern Italy. (Salvatore Cavalli/AP)

By Leo Sands, Adam Taylor and Stefano Pitrelli
August 21, 2024 at 11:43 a.m. EDT

Divers have found four bodies so far in the sunken wreckage of a superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily this week, Italian officials told news agencies and local media Wednesday.

Salvatore Cocina, head of the Sicily civil protection agency, confirmed the discovery of the bodies to the Associated Press after divers were photographed by the agency bringing body bags ashore. Cocina did not identify the deceased.

The British-flagged, 183-foot-long Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members roughly half a mile from the Sicilian fishing village of Porticello when it encountered what authorities called a “violent storm” at about 4 a.m. Monday.

Of the 15 people rescued, eight — including a 1-year-old girl — were taken to hospitals in conditions that were not life-threatening. The body of the yacht’s chef, identified as Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian Antiguan, was found during initial recovery efforts.

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By Leo Sands
Leo Sands is a breaking-news reporter and editor in The Washington Post’s London Hub, covering news as it unfolds around the world. Twitter

By Adam Taylor
Adam Taylor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. Originally from London, he studied at the University of Manchester and Columbia University. Twitter

By Stefano Pitrelli
Stefano Pitrelli is a reporter in the Rome bureau for The Washington Post. Twitter