Winner Of £580 On EuroMillions Still Unpaid

A fortunate lottery winner who won £580 in the EuroMillions claims he has been waiting weeks for his riches and is unable to afford to leave his home.

After winning £582.20 in the lottery in July, 71-year-old Pete Daly was informed he would receive his money in ten days, but 33 days later there is still no sign of his money and now Mr Daly, from Wirral, Merseyside, can no longer afford to leave his house.

Mr Daly says he’s also having to rely on his local food bank to combat his hunger. 

Having found out he won, Mr Daly said he paid for his car insurance renewal out of his monthly budget, leaving him with no money in the bank until the winnings from the lottery came in.

The delay in the payout has left Mr Daly ‘desperate’ for money as he looks to carry out simple tasks such as getting a haircut, filling his car with petrol and buying new shoes.

He told the Liverpool Echo, ‘I won £582.20 and every time I ring them up, I get a different story. I have been paying for the lottery for 10 years; that is £10 a week. 

‘I finally make £500 and they won’t give me it.

‘I need this money, I’m struggling, money is the difference to being able to live, it sorts me to be able to live, not living well, but living.’

EuroMillions apologised for the delays and said it was ‘working on new ways to help further improve the claims process’.

The lottery operator Allwyn said it was forced to introduce a revised claims process for winning tickets following the Post Office’s decision to no longer pay ‘mid-tier’ National Lottery retail prizes between £500.01 and £50,000.

This has led to a small number of these payout claims being delayed, the operator said.

With this revised retail claim process, Allwyn asks players to fill out an online form to start their claim or call their Customer Care Team.

Retail prizes up to £500 can still be awarded in-store, while online winners’ winnings remain unaltered and proceed in the same way as before.

In a statement, the company said, ‘We’re very sorry to hear the concerns raised and colleagues have now called Mr Daly with an update. We successfully process hundreds—sometimes thousands—of prize claims every week.

‘This is following the introduction of a revised claims process that we had to bring in earlier this year following the Post Office’s decision to no longer pay National Lottery retail prizes between £500.01 and £50,000.

‘Unfortunately, a small number of these claims are delayed for various reasons. However, we’re continuing to work on new ways to help further improve the claims process and would like to reassure our winners that they will definitely receive their prize.’

The man claims he must utilise food banks to get food, but he also claims he cannot afford to leave the house.

Some winners are now having to wait months for their payout, which means the operators are keeping funds back, which ultimately gives them additional interest. More than a bit dodgy.

This man’s winnings should have been paid to him and he should not have to wait that long for it, it’s not that difficult to achieve. It’s just money mismanagement here and nothing else.

However, perhaps this man should have waited for his payout before paying out for his car insurance in full. That would have made more sense, but he was told that he would only have to wait ten days for his money.

Office, Pub, Restaurant, And Factory MOTs

In a significant effort to detect diabetes and heart disease early, the NHS will begin distributing health MoTs to workplaces and industries early next month.

Middle-aged professionals, including bus drivers and care workers, will be provided health checks that include blood pressure, BMI, and blood testing for blood sugar and cholesterol.

Health officials believe that by focusing on 130,000 employees at their places of employment, they will be able to reach the most vulnerable and perhaps save thousands of lives annually.

More than 16 million people are eligible for an NHS Health Check, offered by GPs to over-40s every five years.

But only four in ten take up the invite, with lower rates among men, despite their increased chances of heart attack or stroke at an earlier age.

David Hargroves, NHS national clinical director for stroke, said he hoped that taking checks to workplaces such as pubs and restaurants would target those traditionally hard to reach.

He added: ‘Convenient and efficient NHS checks in the workplace could spot thousands of people at risk of a range of cardiovascular diseases, and with high blood pressure the biggest risk factor for stroke, early detection will undoubtedly save lives.’

Almost one in four deaths is down to cardiovascular disease which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Yet experts say around 80 per cent of cases are preventable with lifestyle tweaks and medication.

The £7 million scheme, which will run until March, will see the NHS join forces with local authorities to target big employers, such as Jaguar Land Rover. 

The company is offering the checks to 4,500 employees at its base in Solihull, West Midlands.

Healthcare professionals such as nurses will visit patients’ places of employment to do a brief lifestyle assessment, take their blood pressure, and BMI, and complete a basic blood test.

Louise Gittins, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: ‘Health checks can save lives. 

‘They can prevent people from developing largely preventable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and liver disease.’

It coincides with the NHS’s summertime campaign to check for possible cancer symptoms in gym patrons, which will be posted in changing rooms at hundreds of recreation centres.

Stickers reminding people to check themselves regularly are set to feature on mirrors in more than 240 leisure centres run by Better.

I wonder how the already broken NHS will deal with those who are found to have problems. For most people trying to get an appointment with a General Practitioner is like trying to climb Mount Everest, and virtually impossible for the average Joe. This will be another box-ticking exercise I expect, and as always, it’s not been thought through.

I thought that the NHS was stretched to breaking point at the moment, with people not being able to get appointments, but now people are being offered an overhaul, but then again I suppose an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and tackling issues before they become life-threatening saves money in the long run.

Or is this merely a cost-cutting measure since our government just wants to cut the expense of the National Health Service (NHS) and doesn’t give a damn about people’s lifespan or well-being?

Patients are advised to reduce weight by certain obscenely fat nurses. It’s hardly the best appearance, is it? It’s actually rather sad! I would be sitting there, telling her to take her own advice.

Over 1.6 Million Migrants Are Jobless In Britain

According to research released, a record number of immigrants residing in Britain are unemployed, costing taxpayers an estimated £8 billion.

Official figures show that 1,689,000 non-UK nationals are either unemployed or classed as economically inactive because they are not looking for a job.

The figure for the second quarter of 2024 surpasses the previous high of 1,676,000 recorded at the start of the year, and the 1,628,000 from early in 2012, according to analysis of Office for National Statistics data.

It covers people aged between 16 and 64 born overseas and have the right to live in the UK but excludes students and asylum-seekers.

Researchers at the Centre for Migration Control think-tank put the cost to taxpayers of record levels of migrant worklessness at as much as £8.5 billion a year.

They calculate that the total amount of public money attributed to workless migrants – including health, education, transport and housing costs, and welfare – could be as high as £20.3 billion.

It will put pressure on the Government to further crackdown on legal migration after measures by the previous Tory administration to stop foreign students and care workers from bringing family members with them to the UK led to a 35 per cent drop in visa applications in the first half of this year.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has paused the Conservatives’ plan to increase the income needed to bring a foreign partner to the UK from £29,000 to £38,700, and her main new policy is to reduce employers’ reliance on overseas workers by improving the skills of homegrown staff.

Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, said last night: ‘For all the talk of a fiscal ‘black hole’, the Labour Government seem to be missing the glaringly obvious fact that mass migration is causing economic pandemonium.

‘There is no reason for us to continue handing out so many long-term visas when we are currently having to bail out over a million migrants who are already in Britain but not working. This is the very definition of a Ponzi scheme, and we will only compound the problem if we do not change course soon.’

Mr Bates added: ‘Our elderly are facing a potentially deadly winter as Keir Starmer cancels the lifeline of the winter fuel allowance, but at the same time he is doing nothing to clamp down on workless migrants.’

Why hasn’t the Australian method been implemented by the UK government? Granting visas only to those who possess a trade or practical qualification that would support the economy of the UK.

Both governments could have sorted this problem out years ago, but it’s all part of a plan. What they don’t realise is, that it will all probably end in civil war.

In the UK, we have a very incompetent administration that has no regard for the nation or its citizens.

Illegals trying to enter our country should be sent away unless they have a trade and they can support themselves. Our government needs to adopt this attitude, but instead, they’re just rolling out the red carpet for them.

Our government clearly lacks intelligence, and no common sense. They don’t understand the consequences, and there is no logical thinking. I’m afraid it’s a leftie trait, and I fear for our safety.

Only those having a contract of work and skills, as well as proof that they can sustain themselves financially to pay for housing, private medical treatment, and their dependents’ education, should be permitted to join our nation.

Postman Sniffs Girl’s Shoes In Creepy Moment

This is the creepy moment a postman was caught on a doorbell camera ‘sniffing a girl’s shoes.’ 

In the shocking footage, the postman can be seen outside a flat shuffling through letters before posting them through the letterbox.

When a postman stops by a shoe rack outside an apartment, the ordinary footage of him going about his daily work takes an odd turn.

Then, bending over, he picks up a white trainer and seems to sniff it before walking away.

The event occurred yesterday at 11:25 a.m. at a residence on Balnagask Circle in South Aberdeen, Scotland’s Torry neighbourhood.

Mother of two Jade Mullen shared the video online and it has since been viewed more than 575,000 times, shared 1,000 times and received 900 comments.

She wrote: ‘I would just like to let everyone know just to watch out for this postman. 

‘He then turned around to sniff my daughter’s shoes – what an absolute creep.’

One person commented: ‘Wow that’s very weird behaviour.’

Another said: ‘I hope you’ve reported this that’s terrible of him that’s very very strange behaviour.’

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of the footage circulating on social media.  

‘We expect the highest standards from our posties and take any breach of those standards seriously. Local management is aware and is actively carrying out further enquiries.’ 

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘We received a report of a man acting suspiciously in the Balnagask Circle area of Aberdeen on Wednesday, 28 August.

‘Enquiries were carried out and no criminality was established. Suitable advice was given.’

Notwithstanding the oddity of this practice, it is not illegal to smell someone’s shoes. However, it would make you ask yourself what this very creepy individual might do next. He could end up being a future child paedophile, he’s certainly showing the signs. Today it’s shoes, tomorrow it could be children’s underwear.

I suppose it’s not as bad as him scratching his backside and having a sniff. It would be even worse if he scratched someone else’s.

Postmen have a duty of care; they shouldn’t be sniffing a child’s shoe. He has betrayed this trust by participating in an activity that is, in fact, a fetish for anything having to do with children.

He made an active decision to behave inappropriately, in a public place while working in a professional capacity. This is behaviour indicative of someone who has no respect or regard for other people’s personal space or boundaries, and this sort of behaviour can escalate when not penalised.

There are a lot of people who will stick up for him, but how would you like it if the shoe was on the other foot? Pardon the pun.

Whether he did it on purpose or just out of bizarre kink, his life is over now that it’s been shared on social media. However, as a postie, you would think he would be aware that cameras are everywhere, capturing pictures.

Perhaps this is a new postal service that we don’t know about – record and sniff, quite literally.

Child Abuse Allegations Revealed By King Of Pop’s Bodyguard

The bodyguard for Michael Jackson has discussed his opinion on the singer’s alleged child sex abuse and what he believes killed the King of Pop.

Bill Whitfield said the legendary singer, who would have turned 66 today, was ‘sad a lot’ before he died in 2009 after he had come away from facing a set of serious trials.

Speaking to The Sun, Jackson’s former and latest bodyguard revealed the popstar was hurt by the serious allegations being made against him and said, ‘He would never hurt a child; this isn’t the man I knew’.

In 2006, Bill joined Jackson’s protective circle shortly after the Billy Jean singer was exonerated of any charges of abuse.

But after spending countless hours with Jackson and becoming a ‘very good friend’, the security pro said he believed that if the claims had been true, the situation would have revealed itself.

He acknowledged observing the celebrity intently and even going so far as to study Jackson’s interactions with kids after learning about the accusations.

It took Bill many years of working with the pop icon to conclude that the claims were unfounded.

‘It wasn’t his character. You had to be around him to know him and I was there. So no, that wasn’t him. And so it just still surprises me when I hear things like that,’ he told the newspaper.

Bill heartbreakingly said that the pop star died before he was allowed to tell his side of the story and revealed the singer once said he would ‘slit his wrist’ before hurting a child.

In 1993, the LAPD launched an investigation against Jackson following claims that he had sexually assaulted Jordan Chandler, a 13-year-old.

However, authorities did not discover any evidence of the singer’s guilt in either his Los Angeles residence or his Neverland ranch, and after a whopping $23 million payment, the charges were dismissed.

Jackson was later arrested by police in 2003 on allegations of child molestation, although they withheld the victim’s identity and other pertinent information at first.

Jackson was then put on trial in February 2005 for the allegations of child sex assault.

Gavin Arvizo, the victim, testified that Jackson had masturbated him; his brother backed up this allegation, claiming the singer had given them wine and shown them explicit material.

Jackson was subsequently found not guilty of any criminal charges in June 2005.

While some individuals did believe the accusations, many more did not. Mentally, Michael Jackson was like a child, and the charges began when family members saw an opportunity to profit from his fame. Regardless of his celebrity, I wouldn’t allow my kids to spend time with a stranger since I would share equal responsibility if something went wrong.

Michael Jackson wasn’t an abuser, in my opinion. Granted, he was a bit odd and had Peter Pan syndrome, but I think the reason he preferred kids over adults was that he had never experienced childhood, and kids are genuine and honest, unlike the rest of the public who were always swooning over him.

Of course, I liked Michael Jackson, but I could take him or leave him, and it would be very lazy of me to assume he was guilty. Instead, I took a look at the facts and decided he wasn’t guilty, but the US legal system was determined to nail him to the wall—raiding his home, putting him on trial—and yet he was acquitted on everything, and to this day there is no actual evidence of wrongdoing.

Keir Starmer Accused Of Deceiving The Public

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of ‘conning the public’ over his grim assessment of the state of Britain’s finances.

The Prime Minister was accused of having ‘showered billions of taxpayers’ money on union paymasters while ‘parachuting donors and supporters into top taxpayer-funded jobs’.

Sir Keir will this week warn of more pain to come as he claims that the state of modern Britain is ‘worse than we ever imagined’. 

Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller also attacked ‘soft-touch’ Chancellor Rachel Reeves for ‘fabricating’ a financial black hole in order to raise taxes. 

Mr Fuller said: ‘Just two months in and Keir Starmer has taken winter fuel payments off 10 million pensioners, showered billions of taxpayers’ money on his union paymasters and is now engulfed in a cronyism scandal after parachuting donors and supporters into top taxpayer-funded jobs.

‘The soft-touch Labour Chancellor is squandering money whilst fabricating a financial black hole in an attempt to con the public into accepting tax rises and literally leaving pensioners in the cold.’

In his first major speech since entering No 10, the Prime Minister will say that ‘things will get worse before they get better’.

And he will claim as well as inheriting a £22 billion black hole from the Tories, Labour has also been left a ‘societal black hole’. 

Speaking on Sunday, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden told broadcasters the speech would represent a change from the rhetoric of the previous government.

He told LBC: ‘I think it’s a refreshing departure not to engage in some of the snake oil that has been sold to people in recent years and actually have a Prime Minister who says, look, we know it’s a tough situation. You know it’s tough. That’s why you voted for change.

‘Change will come, but we’ve got to work through some of these challenges first.

He added: ‘We have got a difficult economic inheritance; there is no point in running away from that, and we have a number of challenges.

‘But we have already started work.

‘We have announced plans for a National Wealth Fund. We have announced plans to build more houses.

‘We have lifted the ban on onshore wind, starting that energy transition that is really important.

‘So, progress is being made; we are at the start of a journey of change in this Parliament.

‘Change has already begun, and more change will come in future years.’

But Sir Keir will vow not to ‘shy away from making unpopular decisions’ to restore the country and fix the ‘rot’ left by the Tories.

Labour sources denied that was code for punishing tax hikes expected in this Autumn’s Budget, saying the PM was ‘trying to be honest that the change people voted for will take time’.

The clue is right in front of you; they are liars by name and by nature, and this is a truly bad government that we have in charge of people’s everyday lives.

Of course, people were sick to the back teeth of the Tories, but it seems that Labour are no better, and many people were too disillusioned to vote because of all the lies and political betrayals, which simply allowed Labour to win by default.

Keir Starmer has avoided revealing the truth regularly; perhaps he ought to become a professional illusionist and join the circus.

They’re now laying the foundations to increase taxes. If you think we’re in a mess, now wait for the end of Labour’s term in power. I am old enough to have lived under a few Labour governments and all I will say is to be prepared for the next five years of robbing Reeve’s budget.  

Bin Collection By YOUR Council?

Britain’s rubbish postcode lottery, where some households are compelled to separate their waste into ten distinct bins, has been exposed via a new interactive map.

The scale of the situation, branded ‘bin-sane’ by some campaigners, was revealed by the TaxPayers’ Alliance following a major study by the group. 

They discovered stark differences in the amount of effort required by homes across the United Kingdom.

On average, families have to contend with four different bins for refuse and recycling. 

But in dozens of areas, some people are forced to use six, while in some Welsh towns and the Cotswolds, families have to sift through 10 different receptacles.

In contrast, lucky residents of Gosport in Hampshire only have two bins to deal with.

MailOnline can now identify which UK areas have been compelled to separate their rubbish into the greatest number of containers due to the bin postcode lottery.

Research by the alliance found that residents of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales, who also pay the highest average council tax of £2,099 for a Band D home, deal with the most containers.

Each week, binmen collect food waste from green caddies: paper, plastic, metals, and glass in separate crates; cardboard in large white bags; batteries in small bags; clothes and small electrical items in different carrier bags; and grass in garden waste bags. 

Families can also sign up to have nappies collected in special yellow sacks. Rubbish is taken every three weeks.

Households in nearby Merthyr Tydfil sort their rubbish and recycling into 10 waste containers, as do those covered by Cotswold District Council, Gloucestershire, the TaxPayers’ Alliance said.

Merthyr Tydfil said kerbside recycling was separated into eight bins, bags, and boxes, with residents also able to get rid of ‘small electrical items and textiles in clear bags on an ad hoc basis’.

A spokesman said varied collection cycles mean ‘not all receptacles would be out at any one time’ and recycling rates had risen.

Cotswold District Council said its ‘recycling rate is one of the best in the country’.

Two English councils have nine receptacles, while five others have eight. When research was carried out in 2011, only one council had nine bins and none had 10.

A previous study revealed that of all British councils, 130 out of 360 currently give residents four bins, with around 41 percent of recyclable waste being successfully recycled. 

The latest news comes despite the previous government trying to get councils to limit the number of waste containers. Former prime minister Rishi Sunak last year claimed he had stopped Britons from having to deal with seven bins as part of his watering down of green rules.

The problem is that, despite people separating their rubbish for recycling, the councils don’t recycle the majority, and dump it all in landfills. This should definitely be a follow-up story.

And as for council tax, which is the biggest con. Calling the police is pointless; calling an ambulance is pointless because you’re very likely to die before one arrives, so why are we paying council tax at all? And where is all of the money that we pay in tax going?

The higher the tax band, the more you pay, and councils still claim they’re skint, along with mismanagement, waste, and theft.

Most people throw their rubbish in general waste because it all ends up in the same place – don’t buy the lie.

Why do we have to pay council tax? The council needs to be in charge of organising these things. The ‘McDonald’s’ tactic of having its patrons pick up after them has, regrettably, conditioned us all.

Staff At Newcastle University Urged To Drop Sexist Nicknames

Geordies have slammed Newcastle University for urging researchers to bid ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Pet’ after bosses deemed the slang term sexist.

Diversity chiefs labelled the Tyneside lingo ‘patronising’ in an equality and inclusion toolkit issued to researchers.

Their seven-page guide instructs readers to ‘avoid… terms, such as girls, pet, or ladies’ and asks that groups are referred to as ‘friends or colleagues’ instead.

The advice appears in a section named ‘Talking about Gender’ which says: ‘Sexism can often be subtle in conversations, and we can all be guilty of it without realising.’

Paul Thorne, 52, a hospital worker in the city, said the move was ‘totally stupid’.

‘It’s a local word,’ he continued, ‘what do you expect them to say at Newcastle University? They are going to use Newcastle words.

‘I have never thought of the word as sexist. It’s a local slang word, we use it all the time.

‘Most of the lecturers are probably from Newcastle so you would think they would understand it. It’s a friendly word.’

The seven-page guide was produced by 13 members of an inclusion team and was accompanied by a 44-term glossary of gender-related terms researchers might come across. 

Catherine Harris, 73, a retired teacher, said: ‘I would say tell universities to stick to your studies.

‘I’m not sure that it’s a very progressive step; the word pet belongs to North Eastern dialect and it would be unfortunate to label it derogatory.

‘Like many things, it depends on the tone and the context of the words.’

Amy Siddall, 21, a law student at nearby Northumbria University who lives in Newcastle, said: ‘I don’t think the word is offensive. If someone called me pet I wouldn’t think, “How dare they? They shouldn’t do that to anyone”. It’s fine.

‘Universities want to push boundaries and make sure everyone is equal; I understand that, but local language in areas like Newcastle defines them.

‘There aren’t many locals at Newcastle University in comparison to the University of Northumbria.

‘If I was at that uni being told I couldn’t use terms mainly used by Geordies, I wouldn’t want to go there.’

The university released the guidance after leaders in research reported their concerns about using the ‘wrong’ language when discussing equality, diversity and inclusion topics.

The toolkit also discusses gender, sexual orientation and race.

Pat, 78, a retired priest from Morpeth said: ‘I wouldn’t be offended by the word but I’m of a certain generation.

‘I would say it’s endearing. Words like love, duck or pet is an add-on to acknowledging that you are an individual.

‘The university should just be accepting of the local dialect just as when you go somewhere else you accept that someone will talk to you in their dialect or colloquialism.

‘It’s a word of place, place is important to people who are of that place.’

Why are we not allowed to keep our own culture and heritage in this country but everyone that has come here in recent years is not only allowed to keep theirs but encouraged to do so?

Once more, the professionally offended are demanding the dilution of our culture just so they can signal their virtue. ‘Pet, duck, pal, dearie’ and all such colloquialisms are an inherent part of the wide variety of dialects that make our country so wonderful.

We must keep these terms and tell these killjoys where to go, using whatever suitable, locally understood language comes to mind. We shouldn’t have to comply with these demands.

‘Pet’ is a term of endearment and is used towards men and women.

‘Pet’ isn’t gender specific, it can be used for anyone, male or female. Like ‘Duck’ in the Midlands, ‘Hen’ in Scotland, and ‘Mate and Chap’ are aimed at males. ‘Hun’ is universal. They’re all friendly greetings to show good intent when you don’t know a person’s name.

Just Control Yourselves!

According to research, there is a higher likelihood of obesity among users of takeaway apps like Just Eat and Deliveroo.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine discovered that there is an 84 percent increased risk of obesity among users of food apps.

Analysing data from households in London and the north of England, the team discovered that ‘unskilled’ workers are more likely to use takeaway apps. 

According to a preliminary investigation by The Times, families with higher incomes had a higher likelihood of having groceries delivered from Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose.

The researchers said: ‘Takeaway food delivery app use was positively associated with living with obesity.

‘The potential impact of increased and differential usage of online delivery services on diet and dietary inequalities warrants further research.’ 

The BMJ Public Health Journal published the findings.

According to a recent comprehensive investigation, the average overweight British person costs the health department at least £1,000 in medical expenses annually.

However, because of weight-related health issues, individuals who are classified as extremely obese—those with a body mass index above 40—cost the NHS almost £5,000 per person.

According to the study conducted by the business Lane, Clark & Peacock (LCP), the issue appears to be becoming worse with time.

The average annual cost of treating the most severely obese Brits has risen from £1,300 in 2015, to £1,900 by 2019, the final year of the study.

This is thought to be because improvements in treatments have extended people’s lives, prolonging the need for care. 

Extensive research indicates that obesity raises the risk of several fatal illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, and multiple cancers.

Did they require research to figure this out? It’s not really groundbreaking stuff, is it?

I also discovered that most animals with wings can fly. Who would have guessed? Additionally, you will become dehydrated if you skip a day of drinking water. And in other news, people who drive are more likely to buy petrol.

It didn’t take a study to determine anything, but I suppose the funding had to be used on something.

I’m astonished. I am very grateful for this revolutionary realisation.

Furthermore, did you know that your hand would get wet if you submerged it in the water? Yes, that is astounding, don’t you think?

Whoever came to this conclusion is truly brilliant—on par with Einstein.

Six Missing Passengers, Including Bill Gates, Face ‘Very Complicated’ Search

Rescuers will face a ‘very complicated’ search for six missing passengers on a superyacht owned by the ‘British Bill Gates’ after it sank in a freak storm off the coast of Sicily.

Specialist divers involved in the search operation say the £30 million vessel, called the Bayesian, has come to rest on the seabed 164ft (50 metres) below the surface with ‘virtually everything intact’, with furniture blocking attempts to get inside.

The luxury yacht capsized early on Monday morning after being hit by a waterspout at around 5 am, with the captain of the doomed vessel saying ‘We didn’t see it coming’ after he and 15 others were rescued from the water.

Those involved in the rescue efforts have compared the incident to the ‘Costa Concordia disaster on a smaller scale’, adding that they would do ‘everything to recover the bodies’ amid worsening weather conditions.

The superyacht was overturned by tornado-speed winds so fast that passengers within had little chance to sound the alarm or seek assistance before they were forced to swim for their lives and those who managed to escape were left stranded in the dark ocean while the storm tore through.

Search crews discovered the body of the ship’s cook, Ricardo Thomas, in the water yesterday. As the rescue effort continues, there is growing less and less optimism that survivors may be discovered alive in trapped air pockets.

The following people have been reported missing: British computer mogul Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, head of Morgan Stanley International bank Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and Clifford Chance attorney Chris Morvillo, who defended Mr Lynch in a recent court case.

Mr Lynch had invited family and friends onto the yacht to celebrate his ‘second life’ after being acquitted of all charges in a US fraud trial. In an extraordinary twist his co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain – who was also cleared of the charges – has also died after being hit by a car while running in England over the weekend.

A huge waterspout slammed the opulent yacht just before 5 a.m. on Monday as it was anchored a few hundred meters off the coast of Porticello in calm seas.

Experts in nautical matters say the ship sank because, during the violent occurrence, its massive 246-foot-tall mast, which is among the highest in the world, broke and keeled over, taking the hull over the “down-flooding angle.”

Leading the Palermo Fire Brigade’s diving section, Inspector Marco Tilotta, has compared the gloomy search and rescue effort to the 2012 Costa Concordia cruise ship accident, which resulted in the deaths of thirty-three persons.

I smell something fishy going on here, pardon the pun. It seems extremely odd for a mysterious underwater storm to hit a yacht in calm waters, whilst all nearby shipping vessels were untouched, but I’m sure differing stories will come about, so it’s probably best to wait to see what the experts say.

Sadly, the sea is an unforgiving and unpredictable environment, and deadly.

There will undoubtedly be a thorough investigation. But there’s no question that the yacht’s design—specifically, the height of the mast in proportion to the weight and keel design—will be thoroughly scrutinised.

This would have been a terrible way to die, and life is so fragile. Hopefully, something better lies beyond, but there’s something very odd about all of this.

The incident and reporting are completely inaccurate, and there may be more to this than meets the eye. This story doesn’t make sense at all. Vessels have crossed the Atlantic, yet this one capsized in calm waters!

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