Tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch declared dead after yacht sinks near Sicily

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch is among the six people who have died after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of the morning, BBC reports.

The Bayesian, a luxury yacht managed by Camper & Nicholsons, sank near the coast of Porticello, Sicily, at approximately 4:30 AM local time on Monday.

The incident occurred amid severe weather conditions that have been sweeping across the western Mediterranean.

Among the others recovered from the sunken yacht were Morgan Stanley Bank International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, and one other.

Recovery operations are ongoing to find the final missing person, presumed to be Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, as authorities and local witnesses piece together the events leading to the tragic incident.

Who is Mike Lynch?

Mike Lynch, a prominent figure in the technology sector, co-founded the software company Autonomy in 1996. The company’s rapid success led to its acquisition by Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11 billion, making Lynch one of the most influential tech entrepreneurs in the UK.

However, the deal later became the subject of legal disputes, resulting in Lynch’s extradition to the United States in 2022, where he was ultimately acquitted earlier this year.

What is the status of the search and rescue operations?

The Italian Coastguard led search and rescue efforts, using divers and helicopters to locate the missing passengers and assess the yacht’s wreck.

The Bayesian wreck was located 50 meters (164 feet) below the water’s surface, which complicated the search for the missing passengers.

15 people were rescued, including Mike Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was confirmed to be onboard the yacht.

Bacares, the legal owner of the yacht, was found in a life raft along with other survivors by Captain Karsten Borner, who described the challenging rescue operation amid the stormy conditions.

The focus now is on whether human error was to blame. This includes whether the captain and crew onboard the yacht took necessary measures to mitigate the extreme weather and storm alert that had been issued before the tragedy on Monday morning.

Severe weather conditions contributed

Meteorological experts have highlighted that the severe weather affecting the western Mediterranean is part of a broader pattern of intense summer storms.

A persistent low-pressure system has been over the region since mid-last week, leading to the formation of powerful storm clouds.

While summer storms in the Mediterranean are not uncommon, these recent ones have been particularly intense, causing significant disruption.

This story has been updated as more details were released.