British tech magnate Mike Lynch was among six people lost at sea on Monday, August 19, after a luxury superyacht sank off the Italian island of Sicily during a sudden storm.
Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares was among the 15 people rescued but the businessman and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, were missing, Salvo Cocina, head of the Civil Protection Agency in Sicily, told AFP.
The ship had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, the Italian coast guard said. A sudden fierce storm had battered the area overnight, and a waterspout struck precisely where the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged Bayesian had been moored. Lynch, 59, is a celebrated technology sector entrepreneur and investor, sometimes referred to as the UK’s answer to Bill Gates.
One body was recovered, and police divers spent the day trying to reach the hull of the ship, which was resting at a depth of 50 meters (163 feet) off Porticello where it had been anchored, rescue authorities said.