One of the people missing from the superyacht Bayesian’s sinking off the coast of Sicily during a strong storm is British software entrepreneur Mike Lynch. The British-flagged 56-meter yacht was battered by a tornado in the early hours of the morning while anchored close to Porticello, the Italian coastguard reported.
Sadly, one man—possibly the chef on the ship—has been officially declared dead. Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are among the six people who are still missing. Fifteen of the twenty-two individuals on board—including Lynch’s spouse, Angela Bacares, and a one-year-old girl—have been saved. Rescuers from the United States, Canada, and Britain are still looking for the missing people.
In the mid-1990s, Mike Lynch—a well-known person in the UK IT scene—co-founded the software company Autonomy. Known as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” Lynch had to contend with legal disputes stemming from alleged fraud in relation to Autonomy’s $11 billion sale to Hewlett-Packard. Following a protracted trial and house arrest, a San Francisco jury found him not guilty in June 2024.
Built in 2008, the opulent yacht Bayesian could accommodate 12 passengers and 10 crew members. The ship quickly sank after being struck by a waterspout, a phenomena like a tornado, according to the Italian coast guard. The sinking ship is 49 meters below the surface, and rescue divers are trying to get there.
The tragedy occurs in the midst of strong storms that have been plaguing Italy lately, resulting in landslides and flooding in the northern regions. Witnesses have recounted the terrifying storm, with one mentioning how the ship vanished under the force of strong winds and waves.
While search and rescue operations for the missing continue, the investigation into the sinking is still underway.