The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered from the wreck of a yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday. However, search efforts are still ongoing for his missing daughter.
Six bodies have now been retrieved following the sinking of the luxury yacht Bayesian, which went down during an unexpected storm near the fishing village of Porticello, east of Palermo. The only person still unaccounted for is Mr. Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.
Out of the 22 passengers and crew members on board, 15 survived the incident, including a one-year-old child and Mr. Lynch’s wife, Angel Bacares.
Technology tycoon Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, along with the boat’s chef Recaldo Thomas, were lost when the yacht Bayesian sank.
All the bodies of those previously reported missing have now been recovered, with the exception of Hannah Lynch, according to a source close to the family. Under Italian law, officials are not permitted to release the names of the deceased until formal identification is complete.
An Italian Coastguard spokesman stated that raising the sunken yacht from the seabed is “not currently on the agenda” but may be considered in the future. Vincenzo Zagarola of the Coastguard mentioned that their working theory is that the missing person is still inside the vessel. The wreck of the Bayesian rests on the seabed at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet). Rescuers have described the operation as “complex,” with divers limited to 12-minute shifts underwater.
Tributes have poured in for Mike Lynch, often hailed as “the Steve Jobs of Britain,” from various notable figures. BBC Director General Tim Davie and fellow Autonomy co-founder David Tabizel have been among those expressing their condolences.
Mr. Davie, who worked with Mr. Lynch when he served as a non-executive director at the BBC in 2007, described him as “wise, generous, and insightful,” noting his pivotal role in the Corporation’s digital transition.
Eleanor Lightbody, CEO of the legal AI company Luminance, called Mr. Lynch a “visionary unlike any other,” reflecting on his remarkable impact. David Tabizel, who co-founded Autonomy with Mr. Lynch, referred to him as a “human supercomputer” and a brilliant polymath with an insatiable curiosity.
“To me, he’s the Steve Jobs of Britain. I miss him deeply. I loved him,” said Tabizel.