PORTICELLO, Sicily — The body of British tech mogul Mike Lynch has been recovered from the wreckage of a superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily earlier this week, the Italian coast guard confirmed on Thursday.
Lynch, who had recently been acquitted of fraud charges in the United States, was aboard the yacht celebrating with family and members of his defence team when the tragedy struck.
The incident occurred on Monday when the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, The Bayesian, was hit by a storm while moored about a kilometre offshore. Italian civil protection officials believe the yacht was struck by a waterspout—a type of tornado over water—causing it to sink rapidly. Despite being designed as “unsinkable,” the yacht went down, leaving one woman still missing. Unconfirmed reports suggest the missing woman may be Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch.
In addition to Lynch, the bodies of five others have been recovered by rescue crews. However, their identities have not been formally confirmed by the Italian coast guard. Among those still missing are Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s U.S. lawyers, his wife Neda, Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife Judy.
The yacht, built in 2008 by Italian shipyard Perini Navi, was part of a celebratory voyage following Lynch’s legal victory. The vessel’s manufacturers had touted the yacht as being virtually unsinkable. “Superyachts like these are designed to be unsinkable,” said Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Navi. “They are not only designed this way but also because they are sailing ships, which are among the safest vessels.”
Costantino suggested that while the yacht’s design was intended to prevent rapid sinking, damage to the hull or water ingress could have led to the disaster. He also noted that sailing ships require greater expertise to navigate, particularly in severe weather.
Investigators from the Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor’s Office have opened a criminal investigation into the sinking, though no formal suspects have been identified. They are examining why The Bayesian sank while a nearby sailboat, Sir Robert Baden Powell, sustained only minor damage in the same storm. The sailboat’s captain, Karsten Borner, reported that his vessel weathered the storm with minimal damage, despite winds reaching hurricane-strength levels.
Of the 22 people aboard The Bayesian, 15 survived by escaping in a lifeboat. Among the survivors was a mother who reportedly saved her 1-year-old baby by holding the child above the waves until they were rescued by Sir Robert Baden Powell.
The first victim to be identified was the yacht’s chef, Recaldo “Rick” Thomas, whose body was recovered on Monday. Thomas, originally from Antigua, had been planning to retire after this job, according to his cousin.
Search efforts continue as divers struggle to locate the remaining bodies trapped in the yacht’s hull, which lies 50 meters (164 feet) underwater. Luca Cari, spokesperson for the fire rescue service, described the recovery process as extremely challenging, with divers sometimes taking up to 24 hours to move just one meter within the wreckage.
“We would need a crystal ball to know when we’ll be able to find the next body,” Cari said, emphasizing the difficulty of the operation.
As investigations proceed, the tragedy has cast a shadow over what was meant to be a celebration, leaving the fate of several individuals still uncertain.
Source: AP
