British entrepreneur Mike Lynch is among the individuals who are missing following the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily

Mike Lynch, a British tech entrepreneur, and his daughter were among the six individuals who were missing after a luxury yacht was struck by an unexpectedly violent storm and sank off Sicily early on Monday. One man perished in the incident.

According to a statement from the Italian coast guard, the “Bayesian,” a 56-meter (184-ft) sailboat that was anchored offshore near the port of Porticello and was transporting 22 individuals, was struck by severe weather.

Eyewitnesses reported that the yacht disappeared rapidly beneath the waters shortly before dawn. Including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who owned the boat, and a one-year-old daughter, fifteen individuals managed to escape before it capsized.

Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, were not located, according to an individual who was aware of the rescue operation. The identities of the deceased and missing were not immediately disclosed.

Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International (MS. N), and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, were also missing, according to Salvatore Cocina, the director of Civil Protection in Sicily.

Italian media reported that the deceased individual was the yacht’s onboard caterer.

Nationalities of British, American, and Canadian individuals were reported by the Italian coast patrol as missing. The survivors reported that Lynch had arranged the trip for his associates at work.

“There was an exceptionally strong wind.” An official from the coast guard in the Sicilian capital of Palermo informed Reuters that while adverse weather was anticipated, it was not of this magnitude.

The captain of a boat that was in close proximity to the Bayesian explained to Reuters that he had activated the motor to maintain control of his vessel and prevent a collision with the Bayesian, which was anchored alongside him, during the wind surge.

“We were able to maintain the ship’s position, and we observed that the ship behind us had vanished after the storm had passed,” Karsten Borner informed journalists. He further stated that the other vessel “sank to the bottom and then came to a stop.”

According to him, his crew subsequently discovered a few survivors on a life raft, including a baby girl and her mother. They welcomed them aboard before the coast guard gathered them up.

At the age of 59, Lynch is one of the most prominent technology entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom. From his groundbreaking research at Cambridge University, he established the largest software company in the country, Autonomy, and became identified as the “British Bill Gates.”

In 2011, he sold the company to HP for $11 billion. After the acquisition, the transaction collapsed spectacularly, with the U.S. technology giant accusing him of fraud.

Lynch was once celebrated by academicians, scientists, and politicians; however, he has spent the past decade in court defending his reputation. He was absolved by a jury in San Francisco in June, following a period of over a year in which he was effectively under house arrest.

In the criminal trial, in which he denied any wrongdoing and blamed HP for botching the integration of the two companies, he expressed his “elation” at being acquitted.

INSPECTION OF WRECK BY DIVERS

Divers are currently conducting an examination of the Bayesian’s wreckage, which is situated at a depth of 49 meters, according to the coast guard.

An inquiry has been initiated by prosecutors in the adjacent town of Termini Imerese to determine the cause of the incident.

In recent days, Italy has been hit by storms and heavy rainfall following weeks of intense heat. This has resulted in the Mediterranean Sea temperature reaching record levels, which has increased the likelihood of adverse weather conditions, according to experts.

Around Sicily, the sea surface temperature was approximately 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), which is nearly three degrees higher than the average. The meteorologist Luca Mercalli stated, “This generates an immense amount of energy that contributes to these storms.”

“We can’t say that this is all due to global warming but we can say that it has an amplifying effect,” he told the news organization.

Constructed by the Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008, the Bayesian was most recently refitted in 2020. Its 75-meter mast is the tallest aluminum mast in the world, according to Perini’s website.

The boat was reportedly held by Revtom Limited, according to the shipspotting.com website. The company documents identify Lynch’s wife Bacares as the sole shareholder of the company.

Lynch would be particularly drawn to the yacht’s name due to the fact that his PhD thesis and the software that became his fortune were founded on Bayesian theory.

The ship has received numerous accolades for its design and has the capacity to host up to 12 passengers in six suites, as well as a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites.

The boat departed the Sicilian port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last monitored east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of “at anchor,” according to the vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.