A major search effort has resumed off the coast of Sicily for British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, and four others who went missing after their luxury yacht, Bayesian, sank during a tornado. Among the missing are Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and lawyer Chris Morvillo from Clifford Chance. The yacht was battered by intense storms near Palermo early on Monday, leading to its sinking. Lynch, who founded Autonomy, was recently cleared of fraud charges related to a multi-billion dollar sale to Hewlett Packard.
The British-flagged yacht now sits at a depth of 50 metres on the seabed. Divers have been deployed to assist in the search and rescue operations. Local fisherman Giuseppe Cefalu reported seeing a tornado near Porticello on the morning of the incident, with fierce weather conditions including strong winds and rain. Fifteen individuals, including Lynch’s wife, were rescued initially, while one body has been recovered and six people are still missing.
Efforts to inspect the wreck on Monday were hampered by obstructing furniture inside the yacht. Rescuers, including divers, continued their search on Tuesday morning. The search area includes the waters around Porticello, where the yacht sank. The stormy conditions at the time of the incident made it challenging for rescue operations. Further updates are awaited as the search and rescue mission progresses.