Mike Lynch, a well-known UK tech entrepreneur, is among the five persons found dead after a yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.
The yacht, named Bayesian, sank early Monday morning in rough weather conditions.
Italian Coast Guard divers have recovered five bodies so far, but one person is still missing.
The yacht was carrying 22 people, including 12 passengers and 10 crew members. Fifteen persons were rescued, including a British mother who saved her baby girl by holding her above the water.
Among the missing were Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International, along with his wife, Judy Bloomer. The Italian authorities have not yet officially identified the bodies recovered.
The yacht sank about 700 meters from the shore, likely due to a waterspout that caused it to capsize and sink 50 meters to the seabed.
The depth and position of the wreck have made the rescue efforts challenging. Divers have been working in difficult conditions, with limited light and debris inside the wreck.
Salvo Cocina, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency, said, “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.”
Rescuers are continuing their search for the last missing person, with the investigation into the cause of the sinking expected to follow after all bodies are recovered.
This tragic incident has shocked many, as those aboard the yacht were guests of Mike Lynch, who was recently acquitted of fraud charges in a high-profile U.S. case.
