Bodies of UK tech mogul Mike Lynch, daughter recovered from sunken yacht

The bodies of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah have been recovered from the wreckage of their yacht, which sank off the coast of Sicily, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.

Salvo Cocina, Sicily’s civil protection director-general, confirmed the discovery of two additional bodies, which are currently being recovered by divers. “On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and express our condolences to them at this difficult time," Cocina said.

This afternoon, divers were seen transporting a green body bag to the port of Porticello, where emergency services personnel were on standby. The bodies were found in one of the vessel's cabins, trapped between two mattresses.

Rescue teams have been conducting an intensive search inside the hull of the sunken yacht since Monday. The challenging conditions have made the operation difficult, with divers only able to spend 8-10 minutes inside the vessel before resurfacing.

The disaster occurred when the yacht, the Bayesian, capsized in a pre-dawn storm. Fifteen people managed to escape before the yacht sank, but six passengers remained missing, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah; Judy and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

The body of the yacht's chef, Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, was recovered shortly after the incident.

The 56-metre (184-foot) superyacht is lying sideways at a depth of about 50 metres. Besides divers, the Italian coast guard has deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to scan the seabed and capture images that may aid in the ongoing investigation.

Survivors, including the yacht's captain and witnesses from a nearby moored vessel, have been questioned by authorities. However, no one is currently under investigation.

The sudden sinking of the Bayesian, a luxury yacht equipped with top-class safety features, has left experts baffled. The yacht, which was owned by Lynch's wife, was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and had been refitted in 2020. It was known for having the world’s tallest aluminium mast, measuring 72 metres.

Mike Lynch, 59, was a prominent figure in the UK tech industry, often referred to as the "Bill Gates of the UK." He founded Autonomy, the UK's largest software company, which was sold to HP for $11 billion in 2011. The deal later led to a protracted legal battle, with HP accusing Lynch of fraud, resulting in a lengthy trial.