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Associated Press
12-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
2 small children die in Mediterranean migration voyage, charity says
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Four people, including two small children, have died during a migration voyage in the Mediterranean, a German charity involved in their rescue said. The nonprofit group RESQSHIP said that dozens of migrants had departed western Libya on a flimsy rubber boat with a failing engine. Three days later, on Saturday afternoon, the group's civilian vessel NADIR found 62 of them in international waters where Malta is responsible for search and rescue. By the time the group reached them, two children aged 3 and 4 were dead and a third person was found unconscious and died, it said. Survivors also reported that a fourth person had drowned during the journey. An Italian coast guard vessel arrived four hours later, according to the German charity, and evacuated six people in critical condition, including two babies and their mothers, as their boat was already full with other rescued migrants. The rest of the survivors, many suffering from skin burns caused by the harmful mixture of sea water and fuel, were taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa. 'This tragedy could have been avoided. It is yet another example of the failure of European migration policies,' RESQSHIP said in a statement. 'Instead of coordinating support and facilitating safe passages, Europe is abandoning defenceless people – with deadly consequences. Children dying of thirst on the move is an inexcusable political failure.' Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and the Maltese Armed Forces did not immediately return questions sent by email from The Associated Press. The Mediterranean Sea is the world's deadliest migration route with nearly 32,000 recorded fatalities since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration. This year alone, at least 565 migrants have died on the sea crossing to Europe. — Follow AP's global migration coverage at
The Sun
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Bayesian salvage operation BEGINS off Sicily coast with two cranes, divers & robots nearly a year after yacht tragedy
James Halpin Published: Invalid Date, THE salvage operation for the Bayesian superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily has begun. Seven people died when Brit billionaire Mike Lynch's luxury vessel sank off the coast of Porticello during a storm last summer. 4 4 4 The salvage operation begun on Sunday and includes floating cranes, remote-controlled robots, and specialist divers. The Hebo Lift 10 crane is thought to be one of the most powerful in Europe and arrived in Sicily on Saturday from Rotterdam. The Italian Coast Guard believe the operation could take between 20 and 25 days. The boat lies 49 meters (160 feet) below the surface on the ocean floor. The yacht's 75-meter (246-foot) aluminium mast - the second tallest in the world - will be cut to allow the hull to be brought to the surface more easily, said coast guard Captain Nicola Silvestri. About ten steel cables will then be threaded underneath the yacht to create a harness to raise it from the seabed. From there the yacht will be hoisted to the surface in a complex procedure which will probably last two days. After the wreck is brought ashore, judicial authorities investigating the sinking will examine it. Marcus Cave, Head of Naval Architecture and a Director of TMC Marine, said that the next seven to 10 days would be spent planning. Then they would begun the underwater work. Captain describes horror moment Bayesian superyacht sank as 'big black triangle' went under & vessel vanished off radar The 184ft Bayesian sank while anchored 985ft off the coast of a small fishing port near Palermo. Among the victims were businessman Mike Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah. Just two months before the disaster, Lynch had been cleared of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of his software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US. Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, and the yacht's chef Recaldo Thomas were also killed on board. Fifteen others were rescued from the yacht on emergency lifeboats. The accident is still being treated as suspected manslaughter, with New Zealander captain James Cutfield and two British crew members under investigation by Italian authorities. Tragically, initial investigations revealed that four victims survived the sinking but died in an air pocket. It comes after the boss of the Perini Navi company which built the Bayesian Giovanni Costantino, branded the boat "unsinkable" and slammed the crew for making key "mistakes" and failing to 'close the doors and hatches.' Mr Costantino told The Sun in August : "Modern sailing ships, especially high-tech ones like the Perini, are designed to be extremely safe and stable. 'Even in very critical conditions, if procedures are followed, a sailing yacht like the Bayesian will return to an upright position. "However, if the ship takes on water, this stability is compromised. 'Where the water entered will be determined by the investigators. "What is certain is that the ship took on hundreds of thousands of litres of water." He added: 'The crew did not handle the adverse weather conditions properly and did not follow the correct procedures to ensure safety." Inside the Bayesian's final 16 minutes By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter Data recovered from the Bayesian's Automatic Identification System (AIS) breaks down exactly how it sank in a painful minute-by-minute timeline. At 3.50am on Monday August 19 the Bayesian began to shake "dangerously" during a fierce storm, Italian outlet Corriere revealed. Just minutes later at 3.59am the boat's anchor gave way, with a source saying the data showed there was "no anchor left to hold". After the ferocious weather ripped away the boat's mooring it was dragged some 358 metres through the water. By 4am it had began to take on water and was plunged into a blackout, indicating that the waves had reached its generator or even engine room. At 4.05am the Bayesian fully disappeared underneath the waves. An emergency GPS signal was finally emitted at 4.06am to the coastguard station in Bari, a city nearby, alerting them that the vessel had sunk. Early reports suggested the disaster struck around 5am local time off the coast of Porticello Harbour in Palermo, Sicily. The new data pulled from the boat's AIS appears to suggest it happened an hour earlier at around 4am. Some 15 of the 22 onboard were rescued, 11 of them scrambling onto an inflatable life raft that sprung up on the deck. A smaller nearby boat - named Sir Robert Baden Powell - then helped take those people to shore.
Euronews
04-05-2025
- Euronews
Recovery operation underway in Sicily for UK-flagged superyacht which sank last year
ADVERTISEMENT Experts in marine salvage on Sunday began operations to retrieve the 56-metre British-flagged superyacht Bayesian from the seabed off the coast of Sicily, where it sank last summer. UK tech magnate Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and five others were killed in the tragedy on 19 August 2024. The Italian coast guard confirmed its officers are supervising operations and patrolling the security perimeter created to ensure the safety of personnel working on the recovery. 'With the use of underwater operators and remote-controlled robots, ROVS (remotely operated vehicles), all operations will be carried out for about a week in preparation for the lifting of the vessel,' Italian Coast Guard Captain Nicola Silvestri said on Sunday. 'Hebo Lift 10,' one of the most powerful maritime cranes in Europe, docked on Saturday in the Sicilian port of Termini Imerese from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in preparation for the operation. With the assistance of another dozen marine and logistical specialists operating from shore, around 70 marine experts from Europe have been mobilised to Sicily for the operation. According to Silvestri, the actual lifting that will bring the ship to the surface will occur in a second phase of operations. The multi-purpose floating work barge Hebo Lift 2 monitors the stretch of sea off Porticello, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy, Sunday, May 4, 2025, where the British superyacht Ba Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved For this to be effectively carried out, the yacht's 75-metre aluminium mast, the second tallest in the world, will be cut to allow the hull, which lies 49 metres below the surface, to be brought back to the surface more easily. The tragic sinking of the Bayesian The Bayesian, a 473000 kg maxi yacht, sank after only sixteen minutes and shortly before dawn on 19 August last year. The superyacht was anchored 300 metres from the small fishing port of Porticello, some 15 kilometres east of Palermo, Sicily, before tragedy struck. Of the 12 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the Bayesian, only seven remained on the yacht as it began to take on water. Some 15 people managed to escape into a life raft with the help of nearby vessels. The remaining individuals failed to make it out of the doomed superyacht. In addition to UK tech magnate Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who died in the incident, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, and the ship's cook, Recaldo Thomas, all died in the shipwreck. Related UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch among those missing in Sicily yacht disaster - reports Watch: Rescue of survivors from Italian cable car crash After long and extensive search operations that lasted until 23 August, the bodies of six missing people were recovered. One body had earlier been recovered from the first emergency rescue operation following the yacht's sinking. Investigations by Italian prosecutors into the cause of the sinking, including potential charges against the captain and two crew members for possible responsibility, are ongoing.
The Independent
04-05-2025
- The Independent
Mike Lynch: Experts start difficult recovery of tragic superyacht that sank off Sicily
Off the Sicilian coast, a complex salvage operation is underway to recover the British-flagged superyacht "Bayesian," which tragically sank last summer, claiming the lives of seven people, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter. Two specialized floating cranes, the "Hebo Lift 2" and "Hebo Lift 10," are at the heart of the recovery effort. The "Hebo Lift 2" is equipped with remotely operated underwater vehicles and equipment crucial for the delicate task of retrieving the wreckage from the seabed. Meanwhile, the "Hebo Lift 10," one of Europe's most powerful maritime cranes, arrived in the Sicilian port of Termini Imerese on Saturday, having journeyed from Rotterdam. Under the watchful eye of the Italian Coast Guard, the operation is expected to last between 20 and 25 days. The Coast Guard is not only supervising the recovery process but also maintaining a security perimeter to ensure the safety of the personnel involved. Once the "Bayesian" is brought ashore, it will be meticulously examined by judicial authorities as part of their ongoing investigation into the sinking. Prosecutors are investigating the captain and two crew members for possible responsibility in connection with the Aug. 19, 2024, sinking. The 56-meter (183-foot)-long, 473-ton yacht sank during what appears to have been a sudden downburst, or localized powerful wind from a thunderstorm that spreads rapidly after hitting the surface. The yacht's 75-meter (246-foot) aluminum mast -- the second tallest in the world — will be cut to allow the hull, which lies 49 meters (160 feet) below the surface, to be brought to the surface more easily, said coast guard Capt. Nicola Silvestri. In addition to Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and wife Judy, attorney Chris Morvillo and wife Neda, and ship's cook Recaldo Thomas died in the shipwreck. With the help of nearby vessels, 15 of the 22 people were rescued in the initial phase, one body was recovered, and six others reported missing. The bodies of the six missing people were found following long and complex search efforts, which continued until Aug. 23.
The Journal
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
'Refugees cry out': The roots of Pope Francis's immigration rift with JD Vance
Diarmuid Pepper POPE FRANCIS'S FIRST papal trip was to Lampedusa, the southern Italian island that has been a gateway to Europe for hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. In his autobiography , Francis said he felt he 'had to go to Lampedusa'. 'The tiny Mediterranean island has become the outpost for hope and solidarity,' wrote Francis, 'but also symbolises the contradictions and tragedy of migration and the underwater cemetery for too, too many corpses.' 'When I heard the news of yet another shipwreck just a few weeks before, the thought kept coming back to me, like a painful thorn in my heart. 'The visit had not been scheduled, but I had to go.' Pope Francis boards an Italian Coast Guard boat upon his arrival at the island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, 8 July, 2013. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Francis was born into a family of migrants who left Italy for Argentina and his autobiography begins with the tale of a shipwreck which claimed the lives of around 300 people. His own family had been due to board that ship, but they weren't able to sell their possessions in time and exchanged their tickers for a later sailing. 'You can't imagine how many times I have found myself thanking Divine Providence,' wrote Francis. 'Major crisis' Francis's welcoming remarks on refugees and migrants had put him into conflict with Trump's administration. Since his first papal trip to Lampedusa, Francis continued to speak out on the need to care for and welcome refugee and migrants. Pope Francis unveils the sculpture 'Angels Unawares' in St. Peter's Square on 29 Sept., 2019. It depicts 140 migrants of different ethnicities and nationalities standing on a boat. Before being hospitalised in February, Francis penned a letter to US Bishops which openly rebuked Trump's stance on migrants. He hit out at the 'major crisis' of US president Donald Trump's deportation plans and explicitly rejected vice president JD Vance's attempts to use Catholic theology to justify the administration's crackdown on immigration. Vance, a Catholic convert, had appealed to a concept called 'Ordo amoris' to justify his administration's immigration crackdown. In an interview with Fox, he described it like this: 'You love your family, and then you love your neighbour, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country. Advertisement 'And then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.' Vance claimed that the 'far left' had inverted that. Public theology matters. I love that the sitting Vice President is invoking the Ordo Amoris. — Andrew T. Walker (@andrewtwalk) January 30, 2025 But in his letter, Francis said that the 'true ordo amoris' is that built on 'the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception'. Francis wrote that God always close to migrants and refugees and added: 'I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations.' Francis said it was impossible not to 'make a critical judgment and express disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality'. 'The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defencelessness.' He called on the US government to 'welcome, protect, promote and integrate the most fragile, unprotected and vulnerable'. And on Easter Saturday, despite meeting with pilgrims in St Peter's Basilica, he didn't meet with Vance. Vance met instead with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. The Vatican remarked that there 'was an exchange of views, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention focused on migrants, refugees and those in prison'. Vance did end up meeting with Francis for 'a few minutes to exchange Easter greetings', according to the Vatican. Pope Francis meets with U.S. Vice President JD Vance yesterday before celebrating Easter mass. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo On Holy Thursday, Francis visited Rome's Regina Coeli prison, continuing a tradition he had observed since the beginning of his papacy. 'I have always liked coming to prison on Holy Thursday to do the washing of the feet like Jesus,' Francis told those gathered. 'This year, I cannot do it, but I want to be close to you. I pray for you and your families.' When he left, he told journalists: 'I ask myself: Why them and not me?' Influential US priest Father James Martin compared the actions of Francis to those of US Republican politician Riley Moore, a Catholic who posed with a thumbs up during a recent visit to a prison in El Salvador. 'Pope Francis visits a prison in Rome and, after spending time with them, blows them kisses. He said, 'I ask myself: Why them and not me?' Related Reads 'A man who died with his boots on': Tributes paid to Pope Francis following his death Fr Tony Flannery: I loved that man and that Pope — I will miss him Pope Francis has died aged 88 'Rep. Moore visits a jail in El Salvador and gave a thumbs up to their suffering. Which way would Jesus, who was imprisoned, prefer?' Two ways: Pope Francis visits a prison in Rome and, after spending time with them, blows them kisses. He said, "I ask myself: Why them and not me?" Rep. Moore visits a jail in El Salvador and gave a thumbs up to their suffering. Which way would Jesus, who was imprisoned, prefer? — James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) April 17, 2025 'Refugees cry out' Francis said he had to go to Lampedusa for his first papal trip 'to pray, to show that I was with them' and to 'reawaken our consciences'. He also writes in his autobiography about returning from a refugee camp in Greece with 12 migrants. While visiting a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos in 2016, then Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras told Francis about three refugee families from Syria. 'Their migration papers were in order, but they could find nowhere to go,' wrote Francis. 'Twelve people in all, six were children. ''I'll take them with me,' I said. We hurriedly collected their papers, obtained Greek and Italian government visas, and three hours later they were all on the plane for Rome, guests of the Vatican.' Pope Francis attends a ceremony at the Karatepe refugee camp, on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece, 5 Dec., 2021. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo One of these Syrian refugees now works as a biologist in a children's hospital in Rome. 'Having once risked seeing her child drown in the Mediterranean, she now saves the lives of other children in a specialist centre for the diagnosis and treatment of rare illnesses,' wrote Francis. Another 52 refugees would arrive in the following months. 'We can no longer allow that flow of containers, of humanity driven back, fraternity denied, to continue to represent us, to represent the disgrace of the European Union,' wrote Francis. 'We can no longer allow the Mediterranean, which for thousands of years has united different populations and distant lands, to be transformed into a cold cemetery of unmarked graves.' He added: 'Refugees cry out, crowded onto boats, searching for hope, not knowing what ports will welcome them.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
