Photo Credit:Reuters
In a tragic turn of events, the body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was recovered on Thursday from his family's sunken superyacht off the coast of Sicily, according to multiple media reports. The 184-foot yacht Bayesian sank early Monday morning after encountering a violent storm while anchored near Porticello, Sicily.
Lynch, 59, was among six people initially reported missing after the yacht went down. His 18-year-old daughter Hannah remains the only person still unaccounted for. The recovery of Lynch's body brings the confirmed death toll to five, including the yacht's chef Ricardo Thomas.
The incident occurred as Lynch and his inner circle were celebrating his recent acquittal in a high-profile fraud trial in the United States. Of the 22 people on board, including 12 passengers and 10 crew members, 15 were rescued on Monday, including Lynch's wife Angela Bacares.
Italian Coast Guard official Massimo Mariani confirmed Lynch's body had been retrieved, though the Interior Ministry has not officially identified him. The other victims included Jonathan Bloomer, Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, his wife Judy, and New York attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda.
An investigation into the cause of the sinking is ongoing. Maritime experts have suggested factors like a powerful waterspout and the yacht's exceptionally large mast may have contributed. The Bayesian was built in 2008 by Italian manufacturer Perini and was certified by UK authorities.
Lynch was best known as co-founder of software company Autonomy, whichhe sold to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. He had recently been acquitted of fraud charges related to that sale after a lengthy legal battle.
As the search for Hannah Lynch continues, Authorities are working to piece together the sequence of events that led to the yacht's sudden sinking in hopes of preventing future disasters.
