Mike Lynch yacht sinking latest: Final body recovered from water in search for Hannah Lynch
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
The final body, believed to be that of Hannah Lynch, has been found in Italian waters four days after the Bayesian superyacht sank, the Italian Coast Guard has said.
British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch’s superyacht sank off Sicily earlier this week carrying 22 passengers and crew. All missing passengers have now been found.
Mr Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, and his wife Neda Morvillo were lost when the yacht sank at around 5am local time on Monday during a storm.
Efforts to recover the body, likely Hannah’s, are “in progress”, the head of Sicily’s civil protection agency Salvatore Cocina said.
Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15 — including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares — were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat. The boat’s chef Recaldo Thomas was confirmed dead on Monday.
The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynch’s acquittal in a fraud case in the US.
Family releases first picture of Mike Lynch and daughter Hannah
The first picture of Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah has been released by their family.
The photo shows the pair smiling in the sunshine.
Hannah had been academically gifted and was due to start studying at Oxford University in September.
Rachel Hagan23 August 2024 12:57
Tribute paid to ‘ferociously intelligent’ and ‘loving’ Hannah Lynch
We have just received tributes from friends of Hannah Lynch, following the news that the final missing body, believed to be that of Hannah’s, has been recovered.
The 18-year-old has been described as a “ferociously intelligent” and “loving” young woman who was so excited to begin studying at Oxford University.
Patrick Jacob, a family friend, said: “Hannah was charming and ferociously intelligent with an insatiable thirst for life and knowledge. She was also warm, loving and deeply considerate; remarkably for her age. I am 50 years older than her and in my life I have never met anybody like Hannah. We have lost one of our brightest stars whose future held so much promise. Her loss is unbearable.”
Rachel Hagan23 August 2024 12:52
Who are the victims of the Bayesian sinking?
Italian authorities believe they have found the bodies of all six people who were missing after a luxury yacht sank during a storm off the coast of Sicily.
These are the details of each of the victims on board:
Mike Lynch
British technology tycoon Mike Lynch had been in the headlines long before the boat incident following being the centre of a high-profile fraud case.
The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy, and his disappearance comes just weeks after he was cleared of all charges by a US jury related to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.
HP claimed, just a year after the sale, that Mr Lynch had used accounting tricks to artificially inflate its value before the sale. He spent 13 months under house arrest before being extradited to the US last May for a trial that acquitted him in June this year on all 15 counts.
Chris Morvillo
Chris Morvillo is a lawyer who represented Mr Lynch in his US trial. He is a partner at the Clifford Chance law firm who confirmed on Tuesday he was among the six missing.
In his most recent LinkedIn post, he thanked the legal team that helped win Mr Lynch’s trial. At the end of the post, he thanked his family for their support: “And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.
“None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after….”
Rachel Hagan23 August 2024 12:33
Body bag seen pulled ashore
A green body bag was seen being brought to the port of Porticello from the site of the sinking, the PA news agency has reported.
The bodies of all six missing passengers have now been brought to shore in the small fishing village of Porticello, around 11 miles from the Sicilian capital of Palermo.
Rachel Hagan23 August 2024 12:23
Who is Hannah Lynch? British tech tycoon’s teenage daughter
Hannah Lynch, 18, had been onboard her tech tycoon father’s luxury boat alongside 20 others when the Bayesian capsized during stormy weather.
Her mother, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors who were rescued from a lifeboat after the boat dramatically sank in minutes at around 5am on Monday morning.
Hannah had been due to study English at the University of Oxford having recently finished her A-levels, The Times reported. A gifted pupil, she won a prize for English while she was in Year 10 at Latymer Upper School.
The prestigious Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, where she had been a pupil, has said they are all “incredibly shocked” after a yacht sank with her onboard.
Friends of the teenager described her as a “supernova” – a gentle, kind, clever young woman who was a staunch feminist, according to The Times.
Holly Evans23 August 2024 11:40
Search for Hannah not “easy or quick”
Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, said the search for Hannah has not been “easy or quick“, comparing the sunken yacht to an “18-storey building full of water”.
He told media: Mr Zagarola said: “From the first moment, it has not been easy or quick to inspect the boat. Think of an 18-storey building full of water.”
Rachel Hagan23 August 2024 11:34
Divers discover body of final missing person
Divers have discovered the final missing body, believed to be that of Hannah Lynch, from the superyacht that sank off Sicily, Reuters reports.
Rachel Hagan23 August 2024 11:22
Hiscox appoints new interim chair after the death of Jonathan Bloomer
Hiscox has appointed a new interim chair, following the death of Jonathan Bloomer in the yacht incident.
Colin Keogh, a senior independent director at the insurance group, will assume the role, the company said on Friday.
In a statement on Thursday, Hiscox chief executive Aki Hussain said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by Jonathan and Judy’s tragic deaths. Our deepest sympathies go out to their family and friends at this devastating time. It was a privilege to have known Jonathan and to have benefited from his generosity and wisdom over the last year in his role as chair of Hiscox.
“His deep experience across our industry and in the broader business arena, combined with his personal values, made him both an excellent chair and a person I was proud to know and work with. His advice and support were immensely valuable to me, and he will be dearly missed.”
Rachel Hagan23 August 2024 10:22
Prosecutors will hold press conference tomorrow
Prosecutors in Termini Imerese, near where the Bayesian superyacht went down, are scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow morning.
Investigators from the local public prosecutor’s office are gathering evidence for a potential criminal investigation into the disaster.
Rachel Hagan23 August 2024 10:03
Watch live: Search for Hannah Lynch continues
Watch live as the search continues to find Hannah Lynch after the body of her father, British tech magnate Mike Lynch, was retrieved on Thursday (22 August) following the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht off the coast of Sicily on Monday.
Divers and underwater vehicles are scouring the scene as the billionaire’s youngest daughter remains unaccounted for after the 56-metre boat sank in a severe storm.
Holly Patrick23 August 2024 09:40