The body of British technology tycoon Mike Lynch has been recovered from the wreckage of a luxury yacht that sank during a storm off the coast of Sicily.
Tributes have been paid to the ‘British Bill Gates’ who has been described, as a “genius” and a “giant of a man.”
Mr Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, reportedly remains missing.
The Italian Coastguard confirmed to the PA news agency that the sixth and final person yet to be found was a woman.
The body of the fifth missing person in the yacht’s wreckage was returned in a blue body bag to the port of Porticello on Thursday morning.
Mr Lynch, his daughter, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda Morvillo, were lost when the Bayesian sank at around 5am on Monday.
On Thursday afternoon, the family of Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy confirmed the couple’s death.
In a statement, they said: “Our parents were incredible people and an inspiration to many, but first and foremost they were focused on and loved their family and spending time with their new grandchildren.
“Together for five decades, our only comfort is that they are still together now.”
The luxury vessel was moored half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank around 5am local time on Monday.
– Who is involved and why were they there?
Authorities have so far discovered five missing bodies, with one person, believed to be Hannah Lynch, still unaccounted for.
Hannah had recently finished her A-Levels and was bound for Oxford University in September.
Also confirmed dead are Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley and insurance company Hiscox, and his wife, Judy, a respected psychotherapist.
Chris Morvillo, a lawyer from Clifford Chance and part of the legal team representing Mr Lynch had been unaccounted for, along with his wife, Neda, who reportedly runs a luxury jewellery line.
The body of a man was recovered near the yacht on Monday, believed to be that of chef Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan man working onboard.
Fifteen of the 22 people onboard – including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares – were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat.
Among others rescued were Charlotte Golunkski and her one-year-old daughter Sophie. The brave mother kept her daughter alive by holding her over her head while she was in the water.
– How did the boat sink?
Italian authorities have reported bad stormy conditions that caused the yacht to sink, but investigations into the exact circumstances of the tragedy remain ongoing.
It is believed the luxury vessel may have been hit by a water spout, a rotating column of wind that forms over a body of water and is often likened to a tornado.
According to the US National Ocean Service, tornadic weather spouts have the “same characteristics” as a land tornado and are often accompanied by severe thunderstorms, “high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning”.
Rescue divers re-entered the sunken vessel on Thursday in an attempt to find the final body.
Fire crews from Italy’s fire service Vigili del Fuoco said they had been accessing the vessel through natural entrances, without making openings.
Remote underwater vehicles are being used, with naval units and cave divers also taking part in the search.
Authorities will now attempt to piece together the circumstances surrounding the ship’s sinking.
According to The Guardian, an investigation will be carried out under the supervision of public prosecutor of Termini Imeresi.
The local port authority has opened a separate investigation to determine whether the crew took safety measures.
A team of four British inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) also arrived in Porticello to look at the site of the sinking.
The MAIB is looking into what happened because the yacht Bayesian was flying a British flag, it is understood.
The ship’s captain, James Cutfield, was reportedly quizzed by authorities for two hours as they began questioning all crew members.
Speaking to New Zealand media, Mr Cutfield’s brother Mark said his sibling was a “very good sailor” with eight years of experience working abroad on luxury yachts.
– Who is Mike Lynch?
Mike Lynch, the British billionaire and tech entrepreneur, owes his fame and fortune to software firm Autonomy, which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for billions in 2011.
Hailing from Suffolk, he graduated with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Mr Lynch is married to Angela Bacares, with whom he shares two daughters.
The father-of-two has a reported net worth valued at around £852 million, according to the Independent.
❌ #Porticello #Palermo, proseguono le ricerche dei 6 dispersi: i #sommozzatori speleo dei #vigilidelfuoco stanno ispezionando l’interno del relitto. Lunghe e complesse le operazioni [#20agosto 20:00] pic.twitter.com/UTebMHV4Sv
— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 20, 2024
His business ventures led him to once be dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates” but also landed him in legal trouble.
Autonomy’s sale was wrapped in fraud claims, and he faced civil action in the UK before being extradited to the United States to face criminal charges.
In June, he was cleared of 15 fraud charges after allegations he inflated Autonomy’s worth.
– What do we know about the Bayesian?
The 56-metre sailing boat was launched by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, according to the company website.
It was once called the Salute, but was later renamed after Lynch’s PhD thesis on statistical theory by mathematician Thomas Bayes.
Media reports suggest the yacht’s owner is listed as Revtom Limited, a company owned by Mr Lynch’s wife.
– Who was Stephen Chamberlain and how is he connected to the situation?
Stephen Chamberlain was an associate of Mike Lynch and stood trial for fraud alongside him after Autonomy’s controversial sale.
Days before the yacht disaster, Mr Chamberlain died after being hit by a car while out jogging.
Relatives of Mr Chamberlain said in a tribute released through police that he was a “much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend”.
“He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible,” his family said.
