Tech tycoon Mike Lynch has been confirmed dead after a luxury yacht, the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily. The Italian Coastguard announced that Mr. Lynch’s body has been recovered, while his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, remains missing. Along with them, Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife Judy Bloomer, as well as lawyer Chris Morvillo from Clifford Chance and his wife Neda Morvillo were lost in the tragic incident.
The group was sailing on the yacht in celebration of Mr. Lynch’s recent acquittal in a fraud case in the US involving his software company Autonomy. The yacht sank around 5 am on Monday, with only 15 out of 22 passengers and crew managing to escape on a lifeboat, including Mr. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was among those rescued. The body of chef Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan national who worked on the yacht, was also recovered at the scene.
The rescue operation has been ongoing to locate the missing individuals, with Mr. Lynch’s daughter being the last person to be found. The incident has left the families and friends of the victims in shock and mourning. The return of the recovered bodies and the ongoing search efforts are a grim reminder of the dangers that can accompany maritime activities, even for those aboard luxurious vessels like the Bayesian.