Porticello, Italy – In a heartbreaking turn of events, the bodies of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah have been identified among the wreckage of the ill-fated Bayesian superyacht. The yacht, which sank during a powerful storm, had initially left six people unaccounted for, with two bodies recovered but not yet identified.
Angela Bacares, Lynch’s wife, managed to escape the sinking vessel before it capsized. Salvo Cocina, head of Sicily’s civil protection, confirmed that two more bodies have been discovered and are currently being retrieved by divers.
According to reports from The Telegraph, the bodies of Mike Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter were found “between two mattresses” in one of the ship’s cabins on Wednesday. The rescue operation, which commenced on August 21, aimed to locate the missing passengers of the Bayesian yacht.
“On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences to them at this difficult time,” Salvo Cocina conveyed to The Telegraph.
This devastating incident struck the Lynch family just weeks after Mike Lynch, often referred to as ‘Britain’s Bill Gates,’ walked free from a San Francisco courthouse. Following a grueling 13-year legal battle, Lynch had tearfully vowed to work on reforming Britain’s extradition laws.
High-profile missing passengers
Among those still unaccounted for are notable figures including Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, New York City lawyer Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda, a jewelry designer. Notably, Morvillo was Lynch’s attorney, instrumental in clearing him of fraud charges related to the 2011 sale of his company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard.
The search continues
The Bayesian yacht had 22 people on board, comprising 10 crew members and 12 guests, when it capsized near the port of Porticello early Monday morning. The discovery of Mike Lynch and his daughter follows the initial recovery of the yacht’s cook, Recaldo Thomas.
Reports indicate that the diving team was seen bringing a green body bag to the Port of Porticello this afternoon, where numerous emergency workers were on standby. The search for the remaining missing passengers continues as authorities work tirelessly to bring closure to the families affected by this maritime tragedy.