Mike Lynch, the British tech mogul whose wife owns the luxury yacht Bayesian, is among those feared dead after the vessel sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday. The Italian Coast Guard has recovered four bodies from the wreckage, but has not yet formally identified them. Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International, and his wife Judy Bloomer were among those on board.
Divers have been working to recover the bodies, with four brought ashore to Porticello harbour on Wednesday. The search has been challenging due to the depth of the wreck and debris blocking access points. The Italian authorities are waiting to recover all six bodies before notifying the victims’ families. An investigation into the sinking will follow, but the priority is currently to recover everyone on board.
The Bayesian is believed to have been struck by a waterspout, causing it to capsize and sink 50 meters to the seabed. The yacht was carrying 10 crew and 12 passengers, including American jewellery designer Neda Morvillo and her husband Chris, who are also among the missing.
Lynch, founder of software giant Autonomy, was acquitted in June of multiple fraud charges relating to Autonomy’s $11bn sale to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. The passengers on board were guests of Lynch, celebrating his acquittal.
Searches resumed Thursday for the last person missing, with divers recovering a fifth body from the wreck. Specialist divers are working with an underwater robot to locate the remaining missing person.
