Kiwi lawyer recovering after Italian superyacht tragedy (2024)

The father of a Kiwi lawyer who was on board a superyacht told 1News his daughter was "severely traumatised" after the luxury vessel sank during a freak storm off Sicily yesterday.

Ayla Ronald, 36, was among 22 people on board the 56m British-flagged Bayesian, when a heavy storm reportedly broke the mast, causing the yacht to sink.

While she was safe and well, her father, Lin, told 1News she was still "recovering".

Lin said his daughter was a senior associate at British law firm Clifford Chance and part of yacht-owner British tech magnate Mike Lynch's legal team who were invited on the trip following his recent acquittal in a US fraud case.

The Associated Press reported Lynch and five other people were still missing, citing Italy's civil protection and authorities. Lynch's wife and 14 other people survived.

Lynch — who was acquitted in June in a US fraud trial — was among six people who remain unaccounted for after their chartered sailboat sank off Porticello. A tornado over the water known as a waterspout struck the area overnight, said Salvo Cocina of Sicily's civil protection agency.

One body had been recovered and police divers were trying to reach the hull of the ship — resting at a depth of 50m off Porticello, near Palermo, where it had been anchored, rescue authorities said.

Another New Zealand was aboard

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed that more than one New Zealander was involved after the superyacht sank off the Sicilian coast.

"We can confirm that two New Zealanders were involved in the incident. The New Zealand Embassy in Rome is providing consular assistance. We have no reason to believe that New Zealanders are among those still missing.

"For privacy reasons, no further information will be provided."

The Bayesian had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, the Italian coast guard said. A sudden fierce storm had battered the area overnight, and struck the place precisely where the 56-metre British-flagged yacht had been moored.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Cocina told The Associated Press

It was reported that another superyacht nearby wasn't as badly damaged and helped rescue some of the 15 survivors, who included Lynch's wife Angela Bacares.

The Bayesian was notable for its single 75-metre mast — one of the world's tallest made of aluminium and which was lit up at night, just hours before it sank. Online charter sites listed it for rent for up to €195,000 (NZ$353,701) a week.

One survivor, identified as Charlotte Emsley, said she momentarily lost hold of her 1-year-old daughter Sofia in the water, but then managed to hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were both pulled to safety, Italian news agency ANSA reported, quoting the mother. The father, James Emsley, also survived, said Cocina.

Eight of the 15 people rescued and taken ashore at Porticello were hospitalised while the others were taken to a hotel. One body believed to be the cook was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for and believed inside the hull, said Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service.

Rescue crews located the vessel and deep-water police divers were trying to access the hull, Cari said. The operations, which were visible from shore, involved helicopters and rescue boats from the coast guard, fire rescue and civil protection service.

'I think the missing people are inside' says fisherman

Fisherman Francesco Cefalu’ said he had seen a flare from shore at around 4.30am (local time) and immediately set out to the site but by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk, with only cushions, wood and other items from the superyacht floating in the water.

"But for the rest, we didn't find anyone," he said from the port hours later. He said that alerted the coast guard and stayed on site for three hours, but didn't find any survivors. "I think they are inside, all the missing people."

He said he had been up early to check the weather to see if he could go fishing, and surmised that a sudden waterspout had struck the yacht.

"It could be that the mast broke, or the anchor at the prow pulled it, I don't know," he said.

Multi-national crew and passengers

Cocina said the crew and passengers hailed from a variety of countries: In addition to Britain and the United States, passengers and crew were from Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain, he said.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was "providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families".

Dutch foreign ministry spokesperson Casper Soetekouw said the lone Dutch citizen on board, a man, had been rescued and was not in a life-threatening condition.

Lynch, once hailed as Britain's king of technology, was cleared in June of fraud and conspiracy charges related to Hewlett Packard's US$11 billion (NZ$18 billion) takeover of his company, Autonomy Corp.

The not-guilty verdicts followed an 11-week criminal trial in San Francisco that delved into the history of HP's 2011 acquisition of Autonomy, a business software firm founded by Lynch.

The fraud accusations represented a dramatic turn in the fortunes of an entrepreneur once described as the Bill Gates of Britain — a title he seemed to live up to when he netted an US$800 million (NZ$1.3 billion) from the Autonomy sale.

The acquittal vindicated Lynch, who had vehemently denied wrong doing and portrayed HP as a technological train wreck.

"I'm looking forward to returning the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field," Lynch said in a statement released after the verdict.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate 12 passengers in four double cabins, a triple and the master suite, plus crew accommodations, according to Charter World and Yacht Charters.

The vessel, which previously was named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag, featured a sleek, minimalist interior of light wood with Japanese accents designed by the French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions and photos on the charter sites.

— additional reporting from The Associated Press