Search continues after 1 dead, 6 missing after storm sinks luxury yacht in Sicily

One person is dead, and six people remain missing off the coast of Sicily after a powerful sudden storm brought down a 180-foot yacht carrying more than a dozen people, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who is among the missing.The British-flagged sailboat Bayesian, with 22 people on board, was anchored off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when a severe thunderstorm quickly rolled in. According to the Italian Department of Civil Protection, rain and thunderstorms with strong wind gusts were forecast over parts of Sicily through the weekend. Officials told the Associated Press a waterspout was reported in the area overnight when the yacht sank. Giuseppe Cefalu, a local fisherman from Sicily, told the PA news agency through a translator he saw a “tornado” close to the port of Porticello on Monday morning.ITALY’S MOUNT ETNA ERUPTS AGAIN, SENDS ASH PLUME 32,000 FEET INTO SKYAccording to the International Center for Waterspout Research (ICWR), Italy has been ranked second after the U.S. in waterspout sightings since 2023. Since Aug. 17, the ICWR said it has confirmed 18 waterspouts off Italy’s coasts in what the research group is calling a “waterspout outbreak.”The Italian Coast Guard said the vessel sank around 4 a.m. Monday about 700 meters (nearly 2,300 feet) off the coast of Porticello.The Coast Guard and nearby boaters helped rescue 15 people after the Bayesian went under the sea. The survivors include a mother who held her 1-year-old daughter above the water to prevent her from drowning, Reuters reported. One victim’s body was recovered near the wreckage, according to Coast Guard officials.The boat was owned by Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who survived the shipwreck, Reuters reported. Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter are among the six missing. The Italian Coast Guard continues to attempt access to the sunken vessel. Coast Guard officials said entering the yacht is complex, and planning is underway to make it easier to inspect the interior of the ship. Specialists from around Italy arrived in Porticello on Monday to help search for the missing. The weather around Sicily has also hindered search efforts. Sicily remains under a Yellow Alert for possible thunderstorm activity on Tuesday and Wednesday.The missing include four people from the U.K., two Canadians and two American citizens. Boating experts say sailing on the Mediterranean Sea can be challenging because of the diverse terrain surrounding the water. Even expert sailors can be caught off guard by the sea breezes and storms, which are sometimes difficult to predict.The sea is surrounded by mountainous regions and, in the south, desert, creating temperature contrasts that can lead to windy conditions. Wind is created by the movement of air from one place to another, which happens as cold air rushes to replace rising warm air during a process known as diffusion.  Wind is such a big factor in the Mediterranean that there are several named winds: Meltemi, Bora, Sirocco and Mistral. These are the primary gusts and are fueled by topography and pressure differences. According to Sailogy, some of the winds can be predicted days in advance while others can quickly turn a pleasant sail into a choppy ride.