The Italian coast guard announced on Thursday that the body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch has been recovered from the wreckage of a superyacht off the coast of Sicily. The yacht, which its builders had deemed unsinkable, met a tragic end in a storm.
However, one woman remains missing. She has not been identified, but it has been reported that Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of Mike Lynch, is unaccounted for. The Lynch family had been celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges in the United States with his legal team.
Five survivors were rescued following the tragedy that occurred on Monday.
The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, was caught in a storm and sank swiftly around a kilometer (half a mile) offshore. Authorities suspect that the vessel was struck by a waterspout, causing it to sink.
The Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a criminal investigation into the incident, although no formal suspects have been identified.
Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of The Italian Sea Group, which owns the yacht’s manufacturer, expressed disbelief in an interview on Thursday. “Superyachts like these are designed to be unsinkable,” Costantino said. He elaborated, saying, “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.”
Costantino suggested that the yacht might have taken in water, leading to its sinking. He also emphasized that guiding sailing ships requires greater competence compared to motorboats.
Investigators are now examining why the Bayesian, built in 2008 by the Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, remained largely unharmed. Fifteen of the 22 people aboard the Bayesian survived by escaping in a lifeboat. A mother reportedly held her 1-year-old baby over the waves to save her as they awaited rescue.
Karsten Borner, the captain of the Sir Robert Baden Powell, reported minimal damage to his sailboat despite the ferocious winds, which he estimated reached category 12 on the Beaufort scale, equivalent to hurricane-strength. He maintained his position by keeping his engines running. Borner mentioned that while another option could have been to move into open sea, the Bayesian’s 75-meter (246-foot) tall mast might have posed stability issues even there.
Yachts like the Bayesian are required to have watertight compartments to prevent rapid sinking, even when some parts take on water.
As of now, Mike Lynch is the only confirmed fatality, with his formal identification by the Italian coast guard. Others missing include Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s U.S. lawyers, and his wife, Neda; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife, Judy.
The first body to be recovered was that of chef Recaldo Thomas, known as Rick. His death was confirmed by his family. Tributes to Thomas were paid in Antigua, where cooking for Lynch was supposed to be one of his last jobs before retirement, according to his cousin, David Isaac.
Recovery efforts have been challenging, with divers struggling to locate bodies within the yacht’s hull, which lies 50 meters (164 feet) underwater. “We would need a crystal ball to know when we’ll be able to find the next body,” stated Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the fire rescue service. Moving just one meter inside the wreckage can take up to 24 hours, illustrating the difficulty of the task.
