Record temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea this summer contributed to the intense storm that sank a superyacht off the coast of Sicily, according to Italian scientists. They expect such extreme events to increase in frequency and intensity as the climate crisis deepens.
Besides one person earlier confirmed dead in the incident, divers have found a couple more bodies in the sunken boat. The rescue teams did not immediately identify the names or sex of the victims, according to media reports.
British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch missing
Italian emergency services have gained access to some rooms on the Bayesian boat. But they have been struggling to access sleeping cabins. Those onboard may have been in that section at the time of the disaster. This has prevented divers from seeing if anyone is inside.
The vessel is also lying at a tilt at a depth of nearly 184 feet. Divers have only 10 minutes to search the boat before having to return to the surface, because of the depth. There is also the issue posed by narrow access points and objects and electrical cables obstructing movement.
Those reported missing are British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, 18; Morgan Stanley International Chair Jonathan Bloomer and his spouse; and Clifford Chance advocate Chris Morvillo and his spouse.
Extremely high sea temperatures in the Mediterranean
Survivors of the incident have highlighted that a freak storm violently rocked the superyacht at around 4 am local time on Monday. Bayesian, at the time, had been anchored near the Sicilian port of Porticello. The vessel started sinking rapidly after capsizing.
Sea temperatures in the Mediterranean have reached 30 degrees Celsius, 3 degrees higher than average. Sicily had also been struggling to tackle a months-long drought. The sea surface temperature around the island on Monday remained around 27.3C to 30.5C.
