Authorities revealed Thursday that tech mogul Mike Lynch’s body is among those recovered from a luxury yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily on Aug. 19.
The Italian coast guard announced on Thursday that Lynch’s body was recovered from the wreckage of the Bayesian luxury superyacht, according to The Associated Press (AP). The ship sank during a severe storm while off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily with 12 guests and 10 crew aboard. Fifteen were rescued within hours of the incident and one man was confirmed dead.
Rescue crews located the Bayesian roughly 164 feet below the ocean surface. Five of those missing have been recovered, including Lynch’s body. One unidentified woman remains missing at the time of writing, believed to be Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter who The AP said is apparently unaccounted for.
🚨BREAKING: The first picture of Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah has been released by their family after her body was recovered from the superyacht Bayesian.https://t.co/A6EM3GIvN3 pic.twitter.com/SbOACPp6Rt
— Connor Stringer (@connor_stringer) August 23, 2024
The 184-foot yacht was moored roughly half a mile offshore when it started to sink. Italy’s civil protection officials think it was hit by a waterspout — a tornado that moves over the water — and sank quickly beneath the surface. (RELATED: WWII Ships From ‘Forgotten Battle’ Discovered Off Coast Of Alaska)
An investigation is ongoing, with the local prosecutor’s office not yet ruling out potential criminal charges, though no suspects or details have been provided at this time.
LONDON – JUNE 21: (L-R) Vittorio Colao the Chief Executive of Vodafone Group, Dr Mike Lynch, Chief Executive Autonomy Corp, Lord Mandelson, Chairman Global Council, Richard Olver, Chairman BAE Systems, David Sproul, Senior Partner and Chief Executive of Deloitte and Ian King, deputy Business editor of The Times take part in The Times CEO summit at the Savoy Hotel on June 21, 2011 in London, England. The summit included News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch, chief executives of Goldman Sachs, Santander and Vodafone and Labour Leader Ed Miliband. (Photo by Ben Gurr – WPA Pool/ Getty Images)
PORTICELLO, ITALY – AUGUST 19: A national fire brigade vessel assists in the search for missing passengers after a yacht capsized on August 19, 2024 off the coast of Palermo, Italy. Several people, including four Britons, two Americans and a Canadian national, are missing after the 50-metre sailing yacht Bayesian carrying 22 passengers sank of the coast of Porticello in the province of Palermo, Sicily, at around 03:00 GMT. Italy’s coastguard and firefighters brought 15 people to safety with rescue and recovery efforts ongoing. (Photo by Vincenzo Pepe/Getty Images)
PALERMO, ITALY – AUGUST 19: In this handout screen grab taken from a video provided by Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili dei del Fuoco, an Italian Coast Guard ship is seen at the site of a sunken vessel on August 19, 2024 in Palermo, Italy. Several people, including four Britons, two Americans and a Canadian national, are missing after the 50-metre luxury yacht Bayesian carrying 22 passengers sank of the coast of Porticello in the province of Palermo, Sicily, at around 03:00 GMT. Italy’s coastguard and firefighters brought 15 people to safety with rescue and recovery efforts ongoing. (Photo by Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili dei del Fuoco via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 27: Mike Lynch, (left) former chief executive officer of Autonomy Corp departs the Rolls Building on June 27, 2019 in London, England. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. has accused Mr Lynch of being accounting fraud at ‘Autonomy’, once the UK’s second-biggest software company. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The Bayesian’s manufacturer is owned by The Italian Sea Group, with CEO Giovanni Costantino telling The AP that superyachts such as this are “designed to be unsinkable.” (RELATED: Wild Videos Show Waterspout Annihilating Small Island Town In Maryland)
“And it is unsinkable not only because it is designed in this way, but also because it is a sailing ship and sailing ships are the safest ever,” he continued, adding that “obviously they must not hit the rocks violently, discarding the hull, and they must not take in water.” But questions remain as a boat near the Bayesian was left largely unscathed during the weather event.
Lynch is the only person confirmed to have died at the time of writing as the other bodies have yet to be formally identified.
