The body of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was recovered on Thursday from the sunken wreck of his family yacht, which had gone down earlier this week off the coast of Sicily amid a severe storm, according to a senior Italian official. Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, remains missing, as reported by interior ministry official Massimo Mariani to Reuters following a briefing from emergency services. The bodies of four other individuals who had disappeared when the yacht sank were retrieved from the vessel on Wednesday.
The British-flagged, 56-metre-long superyacht Bayesian, which was carrying 22 passengers and crew, had been anchored near Palermo when it was rapidly submerged after the storm hit in the early hours of Monday. Lynch, aged 59, a prominent UK tech entrepreneur, had recently celebrated his acquittal in a significant U.S. fraud trial and had invited friends to join him on the yacht. His body was transported to a local hospital morgue in a blue body bag via ambulance.
In addition to Lynch and his daughter, those who did not survive include Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda Morvillo; and the onboard chef, Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas. Thomas's body was discovered near the wreck on Monday. Fifteen individuals, including Lynch's wife, managed to escape the tragedy. Mariani suggested that Hannah Lynch's body might not be aboard the yacht but could have been carried out to sea. The families of the missing have yet to make a statement.
Fire brigade spokesman Luca Cari cautioned that locating the last missing person could take days due to the challenging conditions divers face in accessing the submerged yacht, which lies on its side at a depth of 50 metres. A judicial inquiry has been initiated into the incident, perplexing naval marine experts who believe the Bayesian, constructed by Italian luxury yacht maker Perini, should have withstood the storm. Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, described the Bayesian as "one of the safest boats in the world" and faulted the crew for not adhering to proper safety protocols. The captain, James Cutfield, and his eight surviving crew members have not commented publicly on the incident.
Specialist rescuers have been operating inside the sunken yacht's hull for three days, facing extreme conditions due to the depth and confined spaces. The fire brigade likened these efforts to those undertaken for the Costa Concordia disaster in 2012. Once the final body is found, experts will determine whether or how to salvage the vessel. The CEO of Italian Sea Group noted that the yacht's automatic tracking system indicated it took 16 minutes from the storm's onset to the sinking, suggesting significant water ingress. Investigators will examine potential unsecured doorways or hatches, particularly a main door on the yacht's left side. Costantino questioned the yacht's inability to withstand the storm, referencing a Perini boat's survival through Hurricane Katrina. Under maritime law, the captain bears full responsibility for the ship, crew, and all passengers. The Costa Concordia's captain is serving a 16-year prison sentence for his role in the 2012 catastrophe after admitting to navigating too close to underwater rocks.
