British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, are among the six individuals missing following the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily on Monday, August 19, 2024.
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The 56-meter (183-foot) yacht, named Bayesian, was carrying 22 people, including British, American, and Canadian nationals.
Reports indicate that the vessel capsized at approximately 5:00 AM local time after being hit by a severe storm that generated waterspouts—rotating columns of air over the sea.
The storm caused significant damage, including the breaking of the yacht’s mast, which led to the vessel losing balance and sinking near the village of Porticello, close to Palermo.
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Fifteen people, including a one-year-old British girl, were rescued from the incident. Authorities have continued their search operations into the night, focusing on the wreckage located approximately 50 meters below the water’s surface.
Salvatore Cocina, the director general of Sicily’s civil protection agency, confirmed that among those missing are Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and the yacht’s chef. The search, which involves specialized caving and rescue diving teams, is ongoing.
The Bayesian is owned by Angela Bacares, Mike Lynch’s wife, who was among those rescued. Lynch, known as “the British Bill Gates,” co-founded Autonomy, a software company later acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion (£8.6 billion).
The search for the missing individuals continues as divers and rescue teams work to locate and recover those still unaccounted for.
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