In Sicily, four corpses were recovered from Mike Lynch’s sunken yacht

According to the Italian fire brigade, four bodies were recovered from the submerged wreck of a yacht owned by the wife of British tech magnate Mike Lynch on Wednesday. The search for two missing individuals is ongoing.

The deceased were transported to adjacent hospitals for formal identification after being brought ashore on rescue boats. No information regarding the identity of the individual they may have discovered was provided by the local authorities.

The Daily Telegraph of Britain reported that Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were two of the deceased. Corriere della Sera of Italy reported that the only bodies that have been identified thus far are those of Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer and U.S. litigator Chris Morvillo.

The British-flagged Bayesian, which was carrying 22 individuals, was struck by a severe, pre-dawn storm on Monday and sank. Also missing were Bloomer’s wife, Judy, and Morvillo’s wife, Neda.

In honor of his recent acquittal in a U.S. fraud trial, Lynch, 59, had extended an invitation to his friends to join him on the opulent yacht. Lynch was one of the most well-known tech entrepreneurs in the UK.

During the storm, the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian was anchored off the Sicilian port of Porticello. Witnesses reported that the vessel vanished beneath the waves in a matter of minutes, which perplexed naval marine experts who believed that a vessel with such high-quality fittings and safety features should have been capable of withstanding such severe weather.

Evidently, the yacht is substantially intact, lying on its side at a depth of approximately 50 meters (165 feet).

For the last two days, specialized rescuers have been perusing the interior of the sunken yacht’s hull. It was suspected that the victims were confined to compartments, which have proven to be exceedingly challenging to access. Divers have been restricted to a maximum of 8-10 minutes inside the vessel before being required to resurface.

After the disaster, the body of the onboard chef, Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan national, was discovered near the wreck. Lynch’s wife was among the fifteen individuals who were able to flee the boat before it capsized.

The coast guard has deployed a remotely operated vehicle to scan the seabed and capture underwater images and videos, in addition to the diving team. The agency stated that these images and videos may provide “useful and timely elements” for prosecutors investigating the calamity.

Mysteries

The coast guard has been interviewing survivors, including the captain of the Bayesian and passengers on the yacht that was moored next to it who witnessed the ship sinking, according to judicial sources. Fortunately, that vessel emerged unscathed.

Additionally, sources stated that no one is currently under investigation.

Constructed by the Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008, the Bayesian was most recently refitted in 2020. It was constructed with the world’s tallest aluminum mast, which stood at 72 meters (236 feet), according to its manufacturers.

Lynch has been referred to as the “British Bill Gates.” He established Autonomy, the largest software company in the United Kingdom, which was acquired by HP for $11 billion in 2011. Subsequently, the transaction was catastrophically derailed when HP accused him of fraud, leading to a protracted trial.

He was acquitted of all allegations by a jury in San Francisco in June. Bloomer served as a character witness on his behalf, while Morvillo, who is employed by Clifford Chance, represented him at the trial.

According to his brother Mark, James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander who survived the shipwreck, was a “very good sailor” and “very well respected” in the Mediterranean.

According to Matthew Schanck, the chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, a non-profit organization based in the United Kingdom that provides training to sea rescuers, the Bayesian was the casualty of a “high impact” weather-related incident.

“If it is a waterspout, as it appears to be, it is what I would consider a black swan event,” he told Reuters, referring to a rare and unpredictable phenomenon.