The body of British tech mogul Mike Lynch has been recovered from the wreckage of a superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday morning, Italian authorities have confirmed. Five of the six missing people have been found, with only Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah still missing.
The 184ft British-registered Bayesian is thought to have been struck by a hurricane-like tornado as severe storms raged in the area at dawn on Monday. Fifteen of the 12 passengers and 10 crew members on board were rescued at the scene. The body of the yacht's chef, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered from a nearby site a short time later.
Search and rescue teams pulled four bodies from the rubble on Wednesday, and the head of Sicily's Civil Protection Agency, Salvatore Cocina, said NBC News A fifth body was reported found on Thursday. CNBC It was also reported that one of the bodies found belonged to Lynch.
The response time was said to be affected by underwater debris, with divers limited to 12-minute shifts underwater and initially unable to enter cabins from the ship's public areas.
While Thomas is the only victim officially confirmed dead by authorities, other passengers presumed dead besides Lynch and her daughter include Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and Clifford Chance attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda.
Interior Ministry official Massimo Mariani said rescue efforts have entered their final stages. Reuters It is thought Lynch's daughter's body could still be in the wreckage or may have fallen into the sea as the boat sank.
Lynch had organised the expedition to celebrate his acquittal in a long and drawn-out legal battle in which he was charged with fraud for inflating the value of his software company Autonomy in an $11.7 billion sale to Hewlett Packard in 2011. The 59-year-old, often compared to “Britain's Bill Gates”, was cleared of wire fraud and conspiracy charges in June after a three-month trial.
Following the news of Lynch's death, the Royal Academy of Engineering, which accepts Lynch as one of its members, said in a statement on social media that they were “deeply saddened” to learn of the businessman's death and expressed their “deep condolences to his family.”
“Mike became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2008 and we have fond memories of the active role he played in the past as a mentor, benefactor and former Council member,” the statement said. “He was also one of the original members of the Enterprise Committee.”