Five Bodies Recovered from Mike Lynch’s Yacht, Search for Missing Continues
Italian search and rescue teams have entered their fourth day of operations around the wreckage of a yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, with five bodies recovered so far. Among the missing are British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley International chair Jonathan Bloomer, feared to have died in the incident.
Authorities have not officially identified any of the bodies, which were discovered Thursday morning as the search resumed. The yacht, named the Bayesian, was struck by a tornado near Porticello on Monday, likely trapping and killing six people onboard. Search efforts have been complicated by the yacht’s submerged location, narrow spaces, and debris within the wreck, according to the Italian coast guard.
Of the 22 passengers, 15 were rescued on Monday, including six guests and nine crew members. One victim, the ship’s chef Recaldo Thomas, was found soon after the vessel sank. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, and other survivors are assisting authorities with their investigation into how and why the luxury yacht sank so rapidly.
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch has launched its own probe into the incident. Coast guard spokesman Vincenzo Zagarola confirmed that there is no evidence of damage to the yacht’s mast or hull so far, but the full extent of the damage remains unclear.
Lynch, 59, was aboard the yacht with family and close advisers celebrating his recent acquittal from fraud charges related to the sale of his software firm, Autonomy Corp., to Hewlett Packard in 2011. Despite being cleared of criminal charges, Lynch was still fighting a civil case in London at the time of the accident.
Rescue operations, assisted by military vessels, helicopters, and underwater drones, continue as crews search for the remaining passengers, including Lynch’s daughter Hannah, Bloomer’s wife Judy, and other missing individuals. Authorities have vowed to continue their efforts until the entire wreck is thoroughly inspected.
