British tech mogul Mike Lynch and daughter missing after luxury yacht sinks off Sicilian coast

British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter are among six people missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday morning.

The 183-foot vessel, which was carrying 22 people, including British, American, and Canadian nationals, capsized around 5:00 AM local time after encountering a severe storm that caused waterspouts to form over the sea.

Fifteen people were rescued, including a one-year-old British girl, while authorities continue searching for the missing, including Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and the yacht’s chef. Local media reported that the yacht, named Bayesian, was anchored when the storm hit, causing the mast to break and the ship to lose balance and sink near Porticello, close to Palermo. Divers have located the wreckage 50 meters below the water and are conducting searches.

Lynch, sometimes dubbed the "British Bill Gates," co-founded the software company Autonomy, which was sold to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion. The yacht's ownership is linked to Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was among those rescued.

One man’s body was recovered near the wreck, though his nationality has not been confirmed. Survivors described the harrowing experience, including a 35-year-old mother, Charlotte Golunski, who held her one-year-old daughter in the stormy sea before they were rescued by an inflatable boat.

Eight survivors are being treated in the hospital, and the search efforts continue through the night. Severe storms have been affecting the western Mediterranean since last week. The UK Foreign Office is providing support to British nationals affected by the incident, and Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch is sending inspectors for a preliminary assessment of the yacht's sinking.