UK businessman Mike Lynch, recently acquitted in the US of an $11 billion fraud, is among those missing after a superyacht sank off southern Italy on Monday, according to the head of the Civil Protection Agency. The 56-metre-long luxury yacht, The Bayesian, was moored off Porticello, east of Palermo, when a storm unexpectedly swept up the coast before dawn, damaging beach clubs and small fishing ports. The missing individuals include British, American, and Canadian nationals, as reported by the coast guard. Among the 15 rescued was a one-year-old child, and Lynch's wife was also rescued from the sinking yacht amid violent winds and rain off the Sicily coast, leaving six others unaccounted for, according to Salvo Cocina of the Civil Protection Agency.
Italian authorities have initiated an investigation into the incident as emergency response efforts continue. Lynch, 59, was acquitted on all charges in a San Francisco court in early June, following accusations of massive fraud linked to the sale of his software firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard. He co-founded Autonomy in Cambridge in 1996. US prosecutors had charged Lynch with wire fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit offenses involving years of falsified records. He was extradited from Britain to face trial on these criminal charges. Lynch, a University of Cambridge graduate from Suffolk, England, had disputed all charges and denied any wrongdoing, potentially facing two decades in jail if convicted on the 17 charges. A spokesperson for Invoke Capital, another firm he founded, declined to comment.
Lynch was reportedly aboard the boat with colleagues from the company when the storm hit. The sailboat sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, according to the coast guard. A coast guard official in Palermo noted, "The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude." Recent days have seen storms and heavy rainfall across Italy, causing significant damage in the north due to floods and landslides, following weeks of intense heat. Eight of the rescued individuals were hospitalized, all in stable condition, according to local media. The captain of a nearby boat, Karsten Borner, recounted how he activated his engine to maintain control and avoid a collision with The Bayesian during the storm. His crew later found some survivors on a life raft, including three seriously injured, and brought them aboard before the coast guard intervened.
The coast guard reported that the sunken boat was located at a depth of 49 metres, with divers inspecting the wreck. Prosecutors in Termini Imerese have opened an investigation to determine what went wrong. The Bayesian, built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and last refitted in 2020, was managed by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons. It boasts a series of design awards and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, along with a crew of 10. Its 75-metre mast, the tallest aluminium mast in the world, was highlighted by Perini on its website. The yacht departed from the Sicilian port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor," according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder. A UK foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that British officials were in contact with local authorities regarding the incident and stood ready to provide consular support to affected Britons.
