UK Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch & Daughter Among 6 Missing After Luxury Yacht Sinks Off Sicily

A luxury sailing yacht, the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily early on August 19, 2024, after being hit by a powerful storm, killing one passenger and leaving six others missing.

The Bayesian, a 56-meter yacht flying the British flag, was anchored in the port of Porticello about 12 miles east of Palermo when the storm struck at around 5 a.m., according to Italian Coast Guard official Luciano Pischedda.

The yacht was carrying 22 people, including 12 guests and 10 staff members when it went down.

Mike Lynch, a well-known British software magnate accused of fraud in the United States and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among the missing people.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, the yacht’s owner, was among the 15 rescued.

The dead body retrieved has been identified as the chef of the yacht.

Witnesses and survivors of the incident described the storm as severe and unexpected, with strong winds and intense lightning in the area.

Karsten Börner, the captain of a nearby Dutch-flagged ship, Sir Robert Baden Powell, responded immediately, rescuing the survivors from a life raft.

Börner stated that the Bayesian faded from the sight before sinking, adding that the wind was violent.

15 persone tratte in salvo dopo l’affondamento di uno yacht al largo di Porticello. In corso le ricerche coordinate dalla #GuardiaCostiera di #Palermo per le 6 persone ancora disperse, con mezzi navali e aerei della Guardia Costiera, e sommozzatori dei @vigilidelfuoco pic.twitter.com/NX8XSP9ArM

— Guardia Costiera (@guardiacostiera) August 19, 2024

Video Credits: Guardia Costiera/X

Rescue operations are underway. Divers from the Italian firefighter corps are inspecting the wreckage, which is located at a depth of approximately 165 feet.

Italian prosecutors in Termini Imerese have begun an investigation into the incident.

Experts describe the storm as brief but violent. It could have been worsened by warm sea temperatures surrounding Sicily, which reached over 30 degrees Celsius, about 3 degrees higher than normal. Meteorologist Luca Mercalli states that while global warming cannot be blamed, it most certainly intensified the storm.

Mike Lynch, 59, is one of Britain’s most renowned technology entrepreneurs. He built the software firm Autonomy, which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. The deal ended up being one of Silicon Valley’s most high-profile fraud cases, and Lynch spent most of his years in court defending his reputation. He was acquitted in a San Francisco court in June of this year.

The Bayesian, constructed by Italian luxury yacht manufacturer Perini Navi in 2008 and renovated in 2020, is well-known for its design and engineering, including the world’s tallest aluminium mast at 75 meters.

The yacht, owned by Revtom Ltd, with Bacares known as the sole stakeholder, left the Sicilian town of Milazzo on August 14, 2024, and was last seen near Palermo on August 18, 2024 evening.

Survivors, including a one-year-old girl named Sophie and her mother, Charlotte, were taken to hospitals in Palermo. According to Dr. Domenico Cipolla, director of the pediatric emergency room at Di Cristina Hospital, both mother and child are in good condition despite being under a lot of mental stress.

Reference: Reuters, BBC

UK Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch & Daughter Among 6 Missing After Luxury Yacht Sinks Off Sicily appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News