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How did the superyacht carrying tech tycoon Mike Lynch sink off Sicily?

Lynch’s was among five bodies retrieved by divers on Wednesday after the Bayesian sank, according to reports.

Five bodies were retrieved on Wednesday, and a sixth on Friday , by divers searching for those missing from the superyacht which sank off the Sicilian coast in the Mediterranean. The bodies found include British tech tycoon Mike Lynch , the UK’s Telegraph reported. The bodies have not been formally identified by the authorities yet.

It is understood that they were retrieved from inside the sunken yacht, which is reported to be lying on its side on the sea bed at a depth of 50 metres

This brings the total death toll to seven; one person, reported to be the chef from the yacht, was confirmed dead on Monday.

The yacht capsized on Monday at about 5am (03:00 GMT) after it was hit by stormy weather caused by a “waterspout” – or mini tornado – according to Italian authorities.

The cruise had reportedly been undertaken to celebrate the acquittal of Lynch in a fraud trial in the United States in June.

His co-defendant in the trial, Steve Chamberlain, who was also acquitted in June, was killed after being hit by a car on Saturday.

Here’s what is known so far about the yacht, those on board and who died or were still missing after it sank.

Who was on the superyacht which sank?

According to the Italian coastguard, the 56-metre-long (184 feet) British-flagged yacht, called the Bayesian, was carrying 22 people, including 10 crew members.

One person has been confirmed dead after rescuers located a body on Monday at a depth of about 50 metres (164 feet), the AFP news agency reported. Officials have not yet given the name of the deceased but Italian media reported that he was the yacht’s chef.

AFP reported on Tuesday that divers had spotted a second body inside the sunk boat, quoting a source close to the search operation. Authorities have not confirmed it yet, though.

While not all the names of the six missing passengers were not made public officially, they were understood to include:

• Mike Lynch, 59, a British-Irish technology businessman who co-founded British tech company Autonomy in 1996 and was once likened to Microsoft founder Bill Gates; he earned a PhD from Cambridge University
• Hannah Lynch, 18, Mike’s daughter, who had just completed her final school exams and was due to begin a degree in English at the University of Oxford this September
• Jonathan Bloomer, the 70-year-old British chairman of Morgan Stanley bank and the Hiscox insurance company, was confirmed as missing by Hiscox CEO Aki Hussain
• Judy Bloomer, Jonathan’s wife, was also confirmed as missing by Hussain
• Chris Morvillo, from British international law firm Clifford Chance, was confirmed to be missing by Salvatore Cocina, head of the Civil Protection in Sicily

Fifteen people, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. Among others rescued were Charlotte Golunski, 36, a board director at Luminance, a software startup founded by Lynch; her husband, James; and their one-year-old daughter, Sophie. Golunski is understood to have kept her daughter alive by holding her above her head while she was in the water.

All those rescued are in stable condition, although eight of them have been hospitalised, according to Italian news agency Adnkronos.

What do we know about the Bayesian?

Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi constructed the superyacht in 2008 and refitted it in 2020, according to the company’s website.

The yacht’s owner is listed as Revtom Limited, a firm solely owned by Lynch’s wife, Bacares, according to company documents seen by the Reuters news agency.

It was formerly called Salute but was renamed Bayesian after Lynch’s PhD thesis and his software that earned him a fortune. Both of these were based on the statistical Bayesian theory, championed by mathematician Thomas Bayes.

Where was the Bayesian last seen and where was it going?

The Bayesian was last located on Sunday evening in the Tyrrhenian Sea, east of the harbour at Porticello, according to ship tracking websites Vessel Finder and Marine Traffic.

Porticello is a port city located near the Sicilian capital, Palermo.

The yacht had departed on August 14 from the Sicilian port of Milazzo. Its destination was reported to be the Italian city of Bagheria by the tracking websites.

Did a waterspout cause the yacht to sink?

Italian authorities reported that the stormy conditions that caused the yacht to sink were triggered by a waterspout.

A waterspout is a rotating column of whirling air and water mist – sometimes referred to as a mini tornado – according to the website of the US National Ocean Service.

The website adds that a tornadic waterspout is a tornado that forms over water or moves from land to water. They are similar to land tornadoes and can occur during thunderstorms.

Who is Stephen Chamberlain and how is he connected to this case?

Chamberlain, 52, was Lynch’s co-defendant in a fraud trial in San Francisco, which saw both men acquitted in June.

Chamberlain died in a hospital from injuries sustained when he was hit by a car while out running in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, on Saturday. His death was confirmed by his lawyer Gary Lincenberg in a statement on Monday.

The fraud case related to Hewlett Packard’s $11bn acquisition of Autonomy, the firm Lynch grew into the UK’s leading tech company before it spectacularly unravelled after being bought by HP in 2011.

Lynch was extradited to the US in May 2023 and he spent more than a year under house arrest before his acquittal. Chamberlain was the former vice president of finance at Autonomy.

The yacht trip was supposedly a celebration of Lynch’s acquittal.

How did the rescue operation unfold?

Specialist divers began a search anew for the six missing people on Tuesday. Three divers, equipped with oxygen cylinders, descended beneath the surface to examine the wreck.

They initially faced difficulty accessing the yacht’s chambers because they were constricted by furniture.

An investigation into the wreck has been opened by prosecutors in the nearby Sicilian town of Termini Imerese.

What have survivors and witnesses said about the incident?

“It was terrible. The boat was hit by really strong wind and shortly after it went down,” survivor Golunski told the ANSA news agency.

She added that she had lost hold of her one-year-old daughter in the water for “two seconds”, but then managed to grab her and hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were both pulled to safety. She reported that people were screaming.

Karsten Borner, a captain of a nearby yacht who witnessed the sinking, said he had turned on the engine of his ship to prevent collision with the Bayesian. “We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” he told reporters.

Bloomer’s wife, Judy, is a trustee of the Eve Appeal, a UK-based gynaecological cancer research charity. Athena Lamnisos, the CEO of the Eve Appeal, was quoted by the BBC saying she was “deeply shocked to hear the news that our very dear friend and her husband Jonathan, are among those missing”.

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Superyacht Sinking: British Tech Tycoon Among Five Bodies Identified

Five bodies of passengers recovered from the sunken wreckage of the superyacht Bayesian have been identified, including U.K. tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch , according to Sky News, citing the Italian coast guard.

Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo have also been identified after the bodies were recovered by the coast guard, Sky News reported.

Lynch's 18-year-old daughter remains the only person on the vessel unaccounted for. Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, was among the fifteen people rescued by the Italian coast guard on Monday.

The official death toll for the sinking is now six people, after the first death was confirmed when officials recovered the body of Recaldo Thomas, the yacht's chef, a few hours after the vessel sank.

According to the BBC , the boat was owned by a company called Revtom, which lists Bacares as its sole legal owner.

The yacht sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday, when it was hit by a freak tornado. The yacht was worth around $18 million, and has now settled over 164 feet below the surface. This has made rescue efforts and searches more difficult, as it drastically limits the amount of time divers can be underwater.

Those rescued were taken to hospitals in the Sicilian city, including a 1-year-old child who was taken to Palermo's children's hospital.

Early indications have suggested that abnormally high water temperatures in the Mediterranean could have created a waterspout—a ferocious column of rotating air and mist—that engulfed the ship.

While many waterspouts are relatively brief and mild, lasting only seconds and producing moderate gusts, some can develop into more potent and enduring systems.

According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , the captain of the Bayesian, who was hospitalized after being rescued, had no idea the tornado was approaching the ship, saying: "We didn't see it coming."

Fire rescue crews reported that divers were unable to access the below-deck cabins because they were blocked by debris that had shifted during the violent storm.

"Access was limited to the bridge, due to the difficulty represented by the presence of furnishings obstructing the divers' passage," the fire crews said in a statement.

This is a developing news story and will be updated with further information.

Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story ? Contact [email protected]

Update, 8/22/24, 05:07 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.

About the writer

Theo Burman is a Newsweek Live News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is on U.S. politics and international news, as well as the impact of digital culture on elections. He has covered electoral and cultural issues extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., along with high-profile legal cases such as the trials of Andrew Tate and Donald Trump. Theo joined Newsweek in 2024 and has previously written for Dexerto, PinkNews, and News UK. He is a graduate of Durham University and News Associates. You can get in touch with Theo by emailing [email protected] .

Languages: English.

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Five bodies found inside superyacht that sank off Sicily

PORTICELLO, Sicily — Divers recovered four bodies Wednesday from inside a superyacht that sank in a sudden storm off Sicily , Salvatore Cocina, director of the island's Civil Protection Agency, confirmed to NBC News.

Cocina later confirmed to Sky News that a fifth body had been found and was being brought to shore. One passenger remains missing.

The identities of the bodies were not immediately released. Their recovery follows a dayslong search in the deep waters off Italy where British tech tycoon Mike Lynch  and several others were believed to be trapped in the hull. Fifteen of the 22 people aboard survived.

The rest had been missing since early Monday, when the Bayesian was caught in the storm anchored off the coast of Porticello, a village near the Sicilian capital city, Palermo.

The body of the ship’s cook, identified as Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian Antiguan national, was recovered Monday. 

On Wednesday, NBC News witnessed what appeared to be at least three body bags being lifted from fire department boats after they pulled into port at Porticello. It was unclear whose bodies they were. Some were later transferred to ambulances and driven away from the dock.

Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah; Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, are also missing. 

The Bayesian is owned by a firm linked to Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who was among the survivors rescued by a nearby vessel after they got into a lifeboat.

Built by the Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi in 2008, the U.K.-registered yacht could carry 12 guests and a crew of up to 10, according to online specialist boating sites. Its nearly 250-foot mast is the tallest aluminum sailing mast in the world, according to CharterWorld Luxury Yacht Charters.  

Regularly described in U.K. media as “Britain’s Bill Gates,” Lynch was  acquitted of fraud by a San Francisco jury this year, stemming from the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011.

The Mediterranean sailing vacation was designed to be a celebration for Lynch, who brought Bloomer, who testified in his defense, and Morvillo, one of his U.S. lawyers, on the trip.

Lynch's co-defendant Stephen Chamberlain was not aboard the Bayesian, but in what appears to be a tragic coincidence, a  car struck and killed  him Saturday as he was jogging in a village about 68 miles north of London, local police said.

Claudio Lavanga and Claudia Rizzo reported from Porticello. Henry Austin reported from London.

Claudio Lavanga is Rome-based foreign correspondent for NBC News.

Claudia Rizzo is an Italy based journalist.

Henry Austin is a senior editor for NBC News Digital based in London.

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Mike Lynch’s Body Is Found After Sicily Yacht Sinking, Official Says

The authorities have recovered the bodies of all but one of the six people missing after disaster struck a yacht carrying the British software tycoon.

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By Emma Bubola and Elisabetta Povoledo

Emma Bubola reported from Porticello, Italy, and Elisabetta Povoledo from Pallanza, Italy.

The body of the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was among those recovered by Italian divers, an official in the Sicilian capital, Palermo, said on Thursday, confirming that he was killed when a violent storm struck his yacht this week.

Of the 22 people on board the yacht, which had anchored off the Sicilian coast early Monday, when it sank, nine crew members and six passengers survived.

As of Thursday afternoon, Italian recovery teams had retrieved the bodies of the one remaining crew member and five passengers who had been on the yacht, which now lies in 165 feet of water near the port of Porticello, and were searching for one more passenger.

The death of Mr. Lynch was confirmed by Massimo Mariani, the prefect of Palermo, who said that the remaining missing person was the technology entrepreneur’s daughter Hannah.

The others victims were Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International; his wife, Judy Bloomer; Christopher J. Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance; and his wife, Neda Morvillo.

“This is an unimaginable grief to shoulder,” the Bloomer family said in a statement. “Our parents were incredible people.”

The Morvillo family said it was “completely devastated by the passing of Chris and Neda,” and added, “Their passing is a tremendous loss.”

The yacht was caught in a sudden downpour. Weather experts said that strong winds and lightning had hit the area and that the yacht had most likely been struck by air generated within a thunderstorm descending rapidly or by a waterspout , similar to a tornado over water.

12 guests occupied the yacht’s six cabins. There were also 10 crew members.

Open hatches, doors and cabin windows could have let in water during a storm, according to the manufacturer.

Open hatches, doors and

cabin windows could

have let in water

during a storm,

according to the

manufacturer.

Source: Superyacht Times, YachtCharterFleet, MarineTraffic

By Veronica Penney

Rescue teams involving deep sea divers with the Italian firefighters’ corps, coordinated by the coast guard, as well as helicopters and rescue ships, had worked to reach the hull of the ship, which had settled on its side on the sea floor.

Carlo Dall’Oppio, the national head of Italy’s firefighters, said on Thursday that the boat was tilted by 90 degrees on the sea bottom. He said the bodies had been found “in the cabins,” although it remained unclear if they were all found in the same one.

The rescue teams recovered four bodies on Wednesday and one on Thursday, bringing them ashore in body bags in front of a crowd of reporters and onlookers.

The priority remained “the recovery of the missing body,” said Mr. Mariani. Once that search is completed, the judicial authorities would decide the next steps, he said.

The bodies recovered so far were already at the disposal of prosecutors, he said, “and then there is the investigative phase,” which would include the recovery of the yacht.

The Italian prosecutors handling the case have attracted strong criticism from the local press association because of their reluctance to share any information with reporters.

As of Thursday, they had not held a news conference or released a statement on the investigation, generating what the Sicilian press association called “a black market of news” that made it hard to verify information.

Finally, on Thursday afternoon, Ambrogio Cartosio, the prosecutor handling the case, said that a news conference would be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the town of Termini Imerese, the location of his office.

Mr. Mariani said the operations to recover the bodies had gone quickly, taking into account that the divers had a limited amount of time — about 12 minutes — to operate before coming up.

“It was complicated and also potentially dangerous for the divers,” he said, because of the size of the yacht. “There are objective difficulties; thankfully, they are well trained and know what they are doing.”

Michael J. de la Merced contributed reporting from London.

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter based in Rome. More about Emma Bubola

Elisabetta Povoledo is a reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years. More about Elisabetta Povoledo

Everything We Know About Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch's Superyacht Disaster

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch's private superyacht, Bayesian, was sunk off the coast of Sicily on August 19 due to damage caused by an unusually violent storm. Rescue efforts began shortly after and 15 of the 22 people who were onboard at the time of the storm were rescued. Early reports said that one body had been recovered, but that six people were still missing — and that as of late Tuesday, rescuers were still struggling to recover bodies from the sunken yacht due to many barriers blocking access.

On Wednesday, two days after the tragic event, rescuers were able to recover the bodies of four of the individuals who had died during the storm, two of whom were Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, according to AP . At the time of writing, the body of a fifth missing person had been located but not yet recovered, and the sixth person is still missing. While many questions remain unanswered, information has trickled in over the past few days, shedding some light on what has taken place.

Lynch was celebrating a legal victory

Mike Lynch was a co-founder of the Autonomy Corporation, the founder of Invoke Capital, and the co-founder of cybersecurity company Darktrace. His presence in the tech industry was so widespread that many referred to him as "Britain's Bill Gates." One of his most infamous business dealings involved Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Autonomy Corporation in October 2011. Only a few months after the deal took place, HP discovered that Autonomy had been claiming hardware sales as software revenue, allegedly making it seem as though it was making more money than it actually was. 

This forced  HP to devalue the company it had just acquired by $8.8 billion and led to a string of lawsuits. HP  replaced Lynch as Autonomy's CEO  in May 2012, and only a few months later, multiple government agencies in the U.S. and U.K. began their own investigations into the matter . Several years later in November 2019, Lynch faced up to 25 years in prison in the U.S. — he was extradited from the U.K. in May 2023, kicking off a legal case that was resolved only weeks ago.

In early June 2024, Lynch was cleared of all fraud charges in the U.S. related to the HP-Autonomy acquisition, ending 13 years of litigation. "I am elated with today's verdict and grateful to the jury for their attention to the facts over the last 10 weeks," Lynch said to The Guardian shortly after the verdict. It seems Lynch may have been celebrating the legal victory during the trip on the Bayesian.

A 'Black Swan' storm may have sunk the Bayesian

The $18 million Bayesian was a large vessel, so you'd think it wouldn't be particularly easy to sink — and you would be right. The storm that sank the superyacht happened at night, and so there weren't many people observing it at the time, but the brunt of it seemed to be largely centralized in the area immediately surrounding the ship.  The Independent reports that CCTV footage from a nearby dock shows the moment the yacht went down — though the footage is murky, due to the weather, you can clearly see the lights on the ship rapidly go under.

Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian meteorological society, told Reuters that the fatal damage could have been caused a type of tornado on water known as a water spout, but it also may have been due to a downburst. Mercalli also claimed that the rising frequency of these kinds of storms can likely be attributed to climate change. Matthew Schanck, chair of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council, reportedly referred to this kind of weather as a "Black Swan event."

At least six people died onboard the Bayesian

There were 12 passengers and 10 crew members onboard the Bayesian when it sank; 15 people on the ship's manifest have been recovered at the time of writing including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares. This left seven of the ship's passengers unaccounted for: Mike Lynch, Hannah Lynch, Morgan Stanley International Director Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, attorney Chris Morvillo and his Neda Morvillo, and the ship's chef, Recaldo Thomas.

Thomas' body was recovered on Monday, and another five bodies were located on Tuesday, four of which were recovered from the wreckage and a fifth that would be recovered on Thursday. The bodies of Lynch and his daughter were reportedly found inside the hull of the ship. Not all of the bodies that were recovered have been identified yet, but this accounts for six of the seven missing passengers. At the time of writing, the search for the final passenger is still ongoing, and it seems unlikely at this point that they may have survived.

Part of the reason the recovery efforts have taken so long is the 150-foot depth of the wreckage and the hazardous nature of the ship itself. "We are trying to advance in tight spaces, but any single thing slows us down," Fire Rescue service spokesman Luca Cari said to AP News . "An electric panel could set us back for five hours. These aren't normal conditions. We're at the limit of possibility."

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UK tech tycoon among six missing after yacht sinks

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter are among the six people missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.

The 56m (183ft) vessel was carrying 22 people including British, American and Canadian nationals. Fifteen people were rescued, including a one-year-old British girl, and authorities are continuing their search into the night.

Local media reported the yacht, named Bayesian, capsized at about 05:00 local time after encountering a heavy storm overnight that caused waterspouts, or rotating columns of air, to appear over the sea.

Mr Lynch, known by some as "the British Bill Gates", co-founded software company Autonomy, which was later bought by tech giant Hewlett-Packard for $11bn (£8.6bn).

Witnesses told Italian news agency Ansa that the Bayesian’s anchor was down when the storm struck, causing the mast to break and the ship to lose its balance and sink off the coast of village Porticello, near Sicilian capital Palermo.

A waterspout is similar to a tornado and can form over oceans, seas or large lakes.

Divers have identified a wreckage 50m below the water's surface and are searching for those missing.

The director general of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, told the BBC Mr Lynch, his daughter Hannah Lynch and the yacht's chef were among the missing.

He said the search, involving caving and rescue diving teams, would continue overnight.

The body of one man was found outside of the wreckage. His nationality has not been confirmed.

BBC Verify looked at corporate records and found the Bayesian's ownership is tied to Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares.

Sources close to the matter have confirmed to the BBC Ms Bacares has been rescued.

Fifteen people managed to get to safety after the storm hit.

Ansa news agency reported a 35-year-old mother held her one-year-old daughter in her arms in the sea .

The woman, named as locally as Charlotte Golunski, said: "For two seconds I lost the little girl in the sea, then I immediately hugged her again amidst the fury of the waves.

"I held her tightly, close to me, while the sea was stormy. Many were screaming.

"Luckily the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us managed to get on board."

The baby is fine and the mother was treated with stitches, the agency said.

She added she had been on the boat with her husband, who is also safe, and colleagues from a London company.

A doctor based at the Di Cristina Hospital in Palermo, where some of the survivors were taken, said they were "very tired" and "constantly asking about the missing people".

Dr Domenico Cipolla told Reuters news agency: "We have given the survivors this information, but they are talking and crying all the time because they have realised that there is little hope of finding their friends alive."

Survivors said the trip has been organised by Mr Lynch for his work colleagues.

In the initial aftermath, a nearby Dutch-flagged vessel rescued survivors from the waves, tending to them until emergency services arrived.

Captain Karsten Borner said after the storm had passed, the crew noticed that the yacht that had been behind them had disappeared.

"We saw a red flare, so my first mate and I went to the position, and we found this life raft drifting," he told Reuters.

That life raft was carrying 15 survivors, three of whom were "heavily injured", he said.

A local fisherman told Reuters news agency he had seen people being rescued by an inflatable boat dispatched from another yacht.

The captain of a local fishing trawler said he saw debris, including cushions from the deck, floating in the sea.

Footage from the wreckage site showed helicopters circling over several coastguard vessels as divers wearing bright orange descended into the water.

Eight of those rescued are receiving treatment in hospital, the Italian coastguard said.

The western half of the Mediterranean has experienced severe storms since the middle of last week.

Through Sunday night and into Monday morning, a clutch of bad weather passed by the north coast of Sicily.

BBC Weather forecaster Matt Taylor said: "A waterspout is a tornado that has occurred over water rather than land.

"They can form during intense storms, on the base of cumulonimbus/thunder clouds.

"Turbulence, and the wind blowing in slightly different directions around the cloud, can cause rotation under the base of the cloud and the spout to form.

"Like tornadoes, they bring powerful winds, but instead of picking up dust and debris they cause a water mist around the column of rotating air."

The UK Foreign Office said it is supporting a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Sicily. Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch is also sending a team of inspectors to conduct a "preliminary assessment" into the sinking of the UK registered-boat.

The Bayesian's registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd. The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites.

The yacht's name is understood to be based on the Bayesian theory, which Mr Lynch's PhD thesis was based on.

Mr Lynch's wife Ms Bacares is named as the sole legal owner of Revtom registered in the Isle of Man.

A spokesperson for Camper and Nicholsons International, the firm that manages the 2008-built boat, told BBC Verify: "Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew."

Mr Lynch sold his company Autonomy to American computing giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011 for $11bn (£8.6bn).

But an intense legal battle following the high-profile acquisition loomed over Mr Lynch for over a decade. He was acquitted in the US in June on multiple fraud charges, for which he had been facing two decades in jail.

The sinking of the yacht came on the same day that Mr Lynch's co-defendant in the fraud case, Stephen Chamberlain, was confirmed by his lawyer as having died after being hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

How sinking of luxury yacht off Sicily unfolded

Who is british tech tycoon mike lynch, 'for two seconds i lost my baby in the sea' - sicily yacht survivor.

Additional reporting by BBC Verify's Joshua Cheetham

Mike Lynch, a controversial British tech tycoon recently acquitted of fraud in the US, is missing after a superyacht he was on sank off the coast of Sicily, according to reports.

The 56-meter superyacht named "Bayesian" sank early Monday close to Porticello, Palermo, during bad weather.

The area was hit by a strong storm and tornado about an hour before the boat sank, according to a statement by the City Council of Bagheria cited by CNBC News.

Of the 12 guests and 10 crew who were on board, one person is dead, and six others — including Lynch — are missing, The Associated Press said .

Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, is also among the missing, The Times reported, citing Italian officials. Bloomer is a longtime friend of Lynch and testified on his behalf during Lynch's US fraud trial earlier this year.

Lynch's daughter Hannah, believed to be 18 years old, is also among those missing in the wreck, the BBC reported , citing the director general of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina.

Lynch's attorney, Christopher Morvillo, and Morvillo's wife are also among the missing, a colleague of Morvillo's told Business Insider.

Gary Lincenberg, an attorney who represented Lynch's codefendant, Stephen Chamberlain, in the high-profile fraud case in which both men were acquitted, said Morvillo and his wife "are presumed to be passed away" after the yacht went down near Sicily.

Lincenberg said he found out the news about Morvillo shortly after he learned that Chamberlain was killed after being struck by a car while jogging on Saturday.

"In the course of 48 hours, I can't process what has happened, but both of our clients, as well as Chris and his wife, are gone," Lincenberg told Business Insider.

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Authorities haven't confirmed whether the missing people have died.

The remaining 15 people on board, including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, have been rescued, the BBC reported .

Another passenger who was rescued, Charlotte Emsley, described how she kept her 1-year-old child alive by holding her head above the water.

"I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning," she told reporters at la Repubblica, an Italian news outlet, according to a translation by the BBC.

"It was all dark. In the water, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help, but all I could hear around me was the screams of others," Emsley told the outlet.

Divers saw "corpses through the portholes" of the wreck during rescue efforts, said Salvo Cocina, the head of the Civil Protection of Sicily, Sky News reported .

Divers found a man's body at a depth of 50 meters. Local media suggested it belonged to the vessel's chef. Business Insider could not verify the claims.

The superyacht is registered in the Isle of Man.

According to Reuters, the captain of a nearby boat and the owner of the Bayesian are also among those missing.

A local fire department told CNBC News that "divers, a motorboat, and a helicopter," were helping with the search.

But Italian officials are baffled that they haven't found the missing passengers by now.

"We've been searching all day with helicopters and boats, we've found nothing. That wouldn't make sense, in this conditions we should have found something by now," Francesco Venuto, a spokesperson for Sicily's civil protection agency, told Sky News , adding that they "must be there [in the boat]."

Lynch, the founder of the British software company Autonomy, was acquitted of multibillion-dollar fraud charges by a San Francisco jury in June.

He was first extradited to the US last year over accusations that he artificially inflated the value of Autonomy to defraud Hewlett Packard, which purchased the company in 2011 for $11 billion.

In November 2012, HP announced an $8.8 billion writedown related to the Autonomy acquisition, saying $5 billion of that was based on "accounting irregularities" that led HP to massively overpay for Autonomy.

Lynch, a former UK government advisor, always maintained his innocence. His lawyers called the charges a "travesty of justice" that "had no place in a US court."

Bloomer, who is also among the missing, led Autonomy's audit committee and provided critical testimony on Lynch's behalf during the trial, telling the court that Lynch was not heavily involved in the company's accounting.

In an interview following his acquittal, published late last month, Lynch told The Times that he was excited for his shot at a second life after fearing he would die in prison if he was convicted.

"I'd had to say goodbye to everything and everyone, because I didn't know if I'd ever be coming back," Lynch told the outlet. "If this had gone the wrong way, it would have been the end of life as I have known it in any sense."

Lynch also told the Times his acquittal had made him more spiritual, leading him to begin considering what he called "Saint Peter questions."

"So you arrive at the Pearly Gates before being dispatched to the elevator down to the basement, and you say to Saint Peter, 'You know, just before I go, what was that all about? What was that?'" Lynch told the outlet.

The tech tycoon, who faced more than 20 years in prison if convicted, had been preparing to set up a campaign to help wrongly accused Britons in the US, according to The Telegraph .

Representatives for Mike Lynch did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

August 19, 2024 — Update: This story has been updated to include reporting that Morgan Stanley International Chair Jonathan Bloomer is among the missing.

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Who was on superyacht that sank off Sicily?

Twenty-two people were on board the Bayesian superyacht including British technology tycoon Mike Lynch, his wife and 18-year-old daughter, and Morgan Stanley International boss Jonathan Bloomer.

Friday 23 August 2024 12:34, UK

Details have emerged of the 22 people who were on board the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily.

The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it got into difficulty in the early hours of Monday.

Seven bodies have now been recovered. The other 15 people on board were rescued.

Here's what we know about those who were on the yacht.

Follow latest updates on the superyacht sinking

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch was among the original six people missing. On Thursday, divers confirmed his body had been recovered.

Raised in Ilford, east London by Irish parents, the 59-year-old made millions with the software company Autonomy he set up in 1996.

He had an estimated net worth of £852m, according to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, and is believed to have owned the yacht.

Off the back of Automomy's global success, Mr Lynch was given the roles of science adviser to former prime minister David Cameron and non-executive director of the BBC.

The Cambridge maths and sciences graduate sold the firm for £8.64bn to US giant Hewlett Packard (HP) in 2011.

Dubbed the "British Bill Gates", Mr Lynch has been in the headlines in recent months over a high-profile fraud case related to the sale of Autonomy to HP in 2011.

HP accused him of deliberately overstating the value of the company before it was acquired by the American technology firm. Mr Lynch denied any wrongdoing.

In June, a US jury cleared him of all charges .

Read more: Lynch's co-defendant dies days before yacht disaster

Hannah Lynch

Mr Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch was also on board. A body believed to be that of the teenager was recovered on Friday from the yacht wreckage.

She had been on holiday with her parents, having secured a place to study English at the University of Oxford, according to reports.

Her former school, Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, said they were "incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic accident" when the yacht first sank.

Angela Bacares

Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares was on board the yacht and was rescued.

The 57-year-old said she and Mr Lynch were awoken by the boat "tilting" at 4am - half an hour before it sank.

Jonathan Bloomer

Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley International, was confirmed dead on Thursday.

According to the Financial Times, Mr Bloomer appeared as a defence witness for Mr Lynch during his US criminal trial and the pair were good friends. He also chaired Autonomy's audit committee.

The 70-year-old was the chief executive of UK-Hong Kong insurer Prudential until he was ousted by the board in 2005.

He was also chairman of the insurance provider Hiscox.

Judy Bloomer

Mr Bloomer's wife Judy was on the yacht trip with her husband. Divers confirmed they found her body on Thursday.

Mrs Bloomer was a former board member at The Eve Appeal charity, which focuses on gynaecological cancers.

The charity described her as a "brilliant champion for women's health and medical research... an incredible supporter, committee member, and trustee of our charity for over 20 years".

Read more: 'Alarming' potential cause of superyacht disaster What we know about superyacht that sank

Recaldo Thomas

The yacht's on-board chef Recaldo Thomas died in the sinking.

He was Canadian-Antiguan and part of the crew of the Bayesian.

His body was the first to be recovered from the wreckage.

Chris Morvillo

US lawyer Chris Morvillo was among those divers found dead on Thursday.

The father-of-two worked on Mr Lynch's US fraud trial and was a partner of law firm Clifford Chance's US branch.

Mr Morvillo was assistant attorney for the Southern District of New York between 1995 and 2005 and worked on the terrorist investigation into the 9/11 attacks.

In a recent LinkedIn post, he thanked the legal team that helped win Mr Lynch's trial.

Signing off the post, he said: "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…."

Neda Morvillo

Mr Morvillo's wife Neda died in the disaster alongside her husband.

The 57-year-old had a luxury jewellery brand, which she ran under her maiden name Neda Nassiri.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Ayla Ronald

Ayla Ronald, a senior associate at Clifford Chance, survived the yacht disaster, the law firm confirmed.

The 36-year-old worked alongside Chris Morvillo in helping defend Mike Lynch in court.

Clifford Chance said in a statement: "Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident."

She is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but lives in London, her father told local media there.

He said she was left "very shaken" but "she and her partner are alive".

Charlotte Golunski

Charlotte Golunski was on board the yacht and was rescued along with her one-year-old daughter, Sofia.

She spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, confirming she survived the yacht sinking and told how she kept her daughter alive after she was rescued.

"I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning," she said.

"It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."

The 35-year-old is a partner at one of Mr Lynch's firms - Invoke Capital - and has worked there since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She also worked at Hewlett Packard, which acquired Autonomy in 2011, for 11 months.

Before that, she studied history at the University of Oxford.

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James Emsley

Ms Golunski's partner James Emsley was also rescued from the yacht, according to Sicily's civil protection agency.

The 36-year-old is the father of her one-year-old daughter.

James Cutfield

The 51-year-old captain of the yacht spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica after he was rescued.

Mr Cutfield, from New Zealand, was taken for treatment at the Termini Imerese emergency unit, where he told the newspaper: "We didn't see it coming."

Leah Randall

Leah Randall was part of the Bayesian crew and survived the sinking.

She was pictured going ashore in Porticello on Monday morning and is from South Africa.

Her mother Heidi told Sky News said she was "beyond relieved that my daughter's life was spared by the grace of God".

"It doesn't make it any easier living with the heartache of those who have lost their lives [or are] missing. My very deepest condolences to the chef's family as they formed a great friendship," she said.

Katja Chicken

Katja Chicken was another South African member of crew on board the Bayesian and was pictured being brought to safety in Porticello on Monday.

The Italian coastguard confirmed on Tuesday evening that Leo Eppel, a crew member, also survived the yacht sinking.

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British tech tycoon Mike Lynch missing after superyacht sinks off Sicily

PARLEMO, Sicily – One man died and six people were missing, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, after a luxury yacht was struck by an unexpectedly violent storm and sank off the Sicilian capital Palermo early on Aug 19.

The British-flagged “Bayesian”, a 56m-long sailboat, was carrying 22 people and was anchored just off shore near the port of Porticello when it was hit by ferocious weather, the Italian coast guard said in a statement.

Eyewitnesses said the yacht vanished quickly beneath the waves shortly before dawn. Fifteen people escaped before it went down, including a one-year-old child.

The names of the dead and missing were not immediately released, but a person familiar with the rescue operation confirmed that Mr Lynch was not accounted for. His wife Angela Bacares had also been on board.

The Italian coast guard said the missing had British, American and Canadian nationality.

“The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude,” a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days – with floods and landslides causing major damage in the north of the country – after weeks of scorching heat.

Eight of those rescued were transferred to local hospitals. All were in stable condition, local media reported.

The captain of a nearby boat told Reuters that when the storm hit he had turned the engine on to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian.

“We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone,” Mr Karsten Borner told journalists.

The other boat “went flat on the water, and then down”, he added.

He said his crew then found some of the survivors on a life raft – including three who were seriously injured, and a baby girl and her mother – and took them on board before the coast guard picked them up.

Mr Lynch, 59, is one of Britain’s best-known tech entrepreneurs. He spent more than a decade building the country’s largest software firm, Autonomy, from his ground-breaking research at Cambridge University, and became known as Britain’s Bill Gates.

He sold the firm to HP for US$11 billion (S$14.4 billion) in 2011, before the deal unravelled spectacularly following the acquisition, with the US tech giant accusing him of fraud.

Once lauded by academics, scientists and politicians, Mr Lynch spent much of the last decade in court defending his name.

He was acquitted by a jury in San Francisco in June, after he spent more than a year living effectively under house arrest.

He said at the time that he was “elated” to be cleared in the criminal trial, in which he denied any wrongdoing and blamed HP for botching the integration of the two companies.

The coast guard said divers were inspecting the wreck, at a depth of 49m.

Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese have opened an investigation to look into what had gone wrong.

The Bayesian was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and was last refitted in 2020. Its 75m mast is the tallest aluminium mast in the world, Perini said on its website.

The shipspotting.com website said the boat was owned by a firm called Revtom. Mr Lynch’s wife is named as the sole shareholder of the firm on company documents.

The yacht’s name would resonate with Mr Lynch because his PhD thesis and the software that made his fortune was based on Bayesian theory.

The ship won a string of awards for its design and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites.

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Aug 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Aug 18 evening, with a navigation status of “at anchor”, according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.

A UK foreign ministry spokesperson said British officials were in contact with local authorities over the incident and were ready to provide consular support for Britons who were affected. REUTERS

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Four Bayesian superyacht sinking victims 'did not drown' says bombshell leaked inquest

Autopsies of tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are set to take place on Friday, with four victims already confirmed to have died from suffocation

• 12:30, 5 Sep 2024

Four of the people who died on tech tycoon Mike Lynch's Bayesian superyacht did not drown, but instead suffocated to death in air bubbles that filled with carbon dioxide, it has been claimed.

The victims, including Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, his wife Judy, as well as New York lawyer Chris Morvillo and his partner Neda, reportedly had no water in their lungs, raising the harrowing possibility they may have been conscious as the yacht sank.

They were among seven people, including Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, killed in last month's tragedy when the £30-million superyacht sank just 16 minutes after it was hit by a violent downburst.

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica claimed the lungs of banker, Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife Judy were "not full of water and neither were their stomachs or trachea". They have also reported that the couple "suffocated" after oxygen ran out in an air bubble below deck that had formed after the yacht sank.

The publication added that the bubble would not have lasted long, as it would have been "small and quickly filled with rising levels of toxic carbon dioxide". Among others who lost their lives in the tragedy were lawyer Chris Morvillo and his partner Neda, with were also found to have no water in their lungs in post-mortem examinations carried out earlier in the week.

All the victims in the disaster were passengers, except for the yacht's chef Recaldo Thomas. His body, which was found in the sea close to where the Bayesian sank, was the first to be recovered.

The other victims, apart from Oxford University-bound Hannah who was found in her cabin, were in another room.

Italian media has also claimed Hannah's mother and Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who survived, had gone below deck to wake them and inform them the vessel was about to go down off the coast of Sicily at Porticello, near Palermo, on August 19. Ms Barcares, who was among 15 survivors, is said to have been woken by the fierce storm and gone onto the bridge where she found several crew members.

She then went back below deck to warn the others, but cut her bare feet on glass that had fallen onto the floor. Three members of the crew, including New Zealand skipper James Cutfield, 51, British chief engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 59, and conational Matthew Griffiths, 22, are being investigated for causing a disaster and manslaughter.

New Zealand-born Mr Cutfield, who has been a captain on luxury yachts for eight years, was seen for the first time since flying from Sicily to his home in Majorca by private jet last week. He still had a white bandage on his leg as he was seen leaving his house in a black Mercedes.

It is claimed Mr Cutfield has refused to answer questions, although he reportedly told coastguards he "didn't see" the storm coming. His brother Mark, who lives in New Zealand, said he was "a top sailor" in his youth before marrying his wife Cristina in Majorca last year.

Matthew Griffiths, who was on board the Bayesian at the time of the tragedy, told authorities that crew members did everything they could to save passengers. According to Italian news outlet Ansa, he said: "I woke up the captain when the wind was at 20 knots (23 mph). He gave orders to wake everyone else.

"The ship tilted and we were thrown into the water. Then we managed to get back up and tried to rescue those we could. We were walking on the walls (of the boat). Referring to passenger Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, he added: "We saved who we could, Cutfield also saved the little girl and her mother."

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano previously said the yacht was most likely hit by a "downburst," a very strong downward wind. However, the sinking has puzzled naval marine experts, who said a vessel like the Bayesian, built by high-end Italian yacht manufacturer Perini, should have withstood the storm and should not have sunk as quickly as it did.

Prosecutors in the town of Termini Imerese, near Palermo, have said their investigation will take time, with the wreck yet to be salvaged from the sea. They are investigating whether human error may have caused the disaster, with claims that "portholes and hatches" were left open, which led to the ship being engulfed by water.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is heading the investigation, has said his team will consider every possible element of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht's manufacturer.

MORE ON Mercedes Benz Hannah's Morgan Stanley Oxford University Jonathan Bloomer Mike Lynch Hospitals Private jets Swimming pools Billionaires Inquests Bayesian yacht

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Dubai: The New Playground For The World’s Superyachts

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Its 22 marinas and top-notch maritime services support a thriving yachting ecosystem.

Dubai is attracting some of the world's most impressive superyachts.

Dubai’s marinas have hosted some of the world’s most impressive superyachts, owned by tycoons, royal families and celebrities. Notable superyachts spotted in U.A.E. waters over the past season (October 2023 to June 2024) include the 141-meter Nord , estimated to be worth US$500 million, and the 136-meter Flying Fox , featuring two helipads and the first cryosauna ever installed on a yacht.

The annual Dubai International Boat Show, which has been pivotal in shaping the emirate’s maritime ambitions for the last 30 years, continues to showcase the finest fleet of superyachts, attracting fans, manufacturers and industry experts from around the globe. This year, the show recorded a 30% jump in visiting superyachts and significant high-value sales, cementing its position as a global yachting hub.

With its strategic location, world-class yachting infrastructure and seamless entry procedures, as well as comprehensive commercial and private aviation connectivity, Dubai is rapidly gaining popularity as an ideal yachting destination for the luxury traveler.

Rich Maritime Heritage

The U.A.E.’s maritime heritage dates back thousands of years, long before the discovery of oil. From pearling and fishing to shipbuilding and trading, the maritime industry served as a lifeline for the community and contributed significantly to the local economy. From a small trading port, Dubai has transformed into a global city with top-notch infrastructure, a vibrant economy and a high standard of living. In fact, the “Pearl of the Gulf” emerged as the leading city in the Middle East in the Global Power City Index 2023, securing a place in the top 10, along the likes of London, New York, Tokyo, Paris, Singapore, Amsterdam and Seoul.

The traditional dhow offers tourists a glimpse of Dubai's rich maritime history.

Today, while traditional dhows (wooden sailing boats) still ply the Dubai Creek, offering tourists a glimpse of Dubai’s rich maritime history, a growing number of superyachts are docking at Dubai’s luxury marinas, positioning the emirate as a premier yacht tourism destination.

Yachting Crucial To Tourism Economy

Under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Dubai, the emirate has unveiled a comprehensive 10-year economic framework, referred to as D33, which aims to double its economy by 2033 and secure its position as one of the top three global cities for business and leisure, and the best city to visit, live and work in.

The tourism sector plays a crucial role in this economic expansion. In 2023, Dubai welcomed a record 17.5 million international visitors, representing a 19.4% increase from 2022. This growth trend has persisted into 2024, with 9.31 million visitors recorded from January to June, up 9% from the same period in 2023. Dubai has bagged several accolades along the way, including the No. 1 global destination ranking in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards 2024 for the third consecutive year, making it the only city to achieve this milestone.

All this bodes well for the yachting industry, a key pillar of Dubai’s tourism economy and central to the diversification of the tourism sector. “Yachting contributes to Dubai’s economic growth not only via direct expenditure from docking vessels, but also through attracting new audiences to the city, including investors and high net worth individuals,” says Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, part of Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

The yachting industry is central to the diversification of the tourism sector, contributing to Dubai’s economic expansion.

The yachting industry in the U.A.E. continues to enjoy remarkable growth. From October 2023 to June 2024, 64 yachts over 28 meters visited the U.A.E., the highest number ever recorded, showing a 12% increase over the previous season, according to the U.A.E Yachting Market Insights 2024 published by IR Yachts. The report also found that larger yachts are visiting the U.A.E.

To support the growth of the industry, the government has continued to invest significantly in developing its maritime infrastructure. For example, a road infrastructure project to improve access to Dubai Harbour is in the works. This AED431 million (US$117 million) project will see the construction of a two-lane bridge spanning 1.5 kilometers, extending from Sheikh Zayed Road to Dubai Harbour. When completed, it will improve the flow of traffic and reduce travel time from 12 minutes to three.

World-Class Infrastructure And Services

Dubai’s world-class maritime infrastructure, including 5,000 berths across 22 marinas, supports a thriving yachting ecosystem, and significant investment has led to the development of luxury services such as waterfront entertainment and state-of-the-art maintenance and repair facilities, ensuring a seamless experience for yachting enthusiasts. Popular marinas include Mina Rashid Marina , Dubai Harbour Marinas , Bulgari Marina and Nakheel Marinas . Well-placed fueling stations are available across the city’s marinas, allowing for convenient refueling for longer voyages. All this is complemented by the city’s abundance of attractions, cosmopolitan atmosphere, diverse gastronomy, privacy and unique lifestyle experiences. Additionally, yacht owners have greater peace of mind knowing that they can safely navigate around Dubai and the Gulf region, as the U.A.E was named the second safest country in the world in 2023 with a safety index of 84.9.

“The outlook for Dubai’s yachting industry is increasingly optimistic, and significant investments are being made to enhance maritime infrastructure and facilities, in addition to streamlining industry regulations,” says Kazim.

Key developments include the expansion of Nakheel Marinas Dubai Islands, which will accommodate 13 superyachts and house 248 wet berths for vessels up to 47 meters and 40 dry berths for trailers up to 20 meters. Mina Rashid will be transformed into a luxurious waterfront residential community , and anchorage points will be expanded across the emirate.

He adds: “Partnerships and collaborations between key stakeholders, a seamless arrival experience for foreign-flagged vessels, and visa options to simplify entry procedures are being prioritized to appeal to yacht owners from a diverse range of markets. Dubai is also positioning itself as a leading hub for the superyacht industry, with a focus on attracting key international players to establish offices, branches and manufacturing facilities here, further boosting our local economy.”

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UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch among those missing in Sicily yacht disaster - reports

One person has died, six have gone missing and 15 have been rescued after the superyacht capsized in a storm off the coast of Sicily.

A luxury superyacht sailboat carrying foreign tourists has capsized and sunk off Sicily in bad weather. One body has been found, six people are missing and 15 people have been rescued, authorities said.

UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among the missing, according to reports. He was acquitted in June by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges linked to the sale of his software company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion (€10 billion) in 2011.

The ship, owned by Lynch's family, overturned around 5am on Monday off the port of Porticello, where it was apparently anchored.

It had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, including British, American and Canadian nationalities, the Italian coast guard said. Local media said a sudden fierce storm, including tornados over water known as waterspouts, had battered the area overnight but skies were clear and seas calm by Monday morning.

The 56-metre British-flagged "Bayesian" was known for its unusually single 75-metre mast, one of the world's tallest made of aluminium. Online sites list it for charter for up to €195,000 a week.

Some of the survivors have already been identified. One of them is Angela Bacares, Lynch's wife.

• Mike Lynch: The tech tycoon who fought the US law — and won

Another survivor, identified only as Charlotte, said she had momentarily lost hold of her 1-year-old daughter Sofia in the water but then managed to hold her up over the waves until a lifeboat inflated and they were both pulled to safety, Italian news agency ANSA reported, quoting the mother.

Eight of the people initially rescued and taken to shore at Porticello, near Palermo, were hospitalised. One body was found near the wreck, but six others were unaccounted for, said Luca Cari, a spokesperson for the Italian fire rescue service.

The nationality of the man who died has not yet been identified.

Rescue crews located the ship at a depth of 50 metres off Porticello and experienced deep-water police divers were trying to access the hull, Cari said. The operations, which were visible from shore, involved helicopters and rescue boats from the coast guard, fire rescue and civil protection service.

Fisherman Francesco Cefalu said he had seen a flare from the shore at around 4:30am and immediately set out to the site. However, by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk, with only cushions, wood and other items from the superyacht floating in the water.

"But for the rest, we didn’t find anyone," he said from the port hours later. He said that he immediately alerted the coast guard and stayed on site for three hours, but didn't find any survivors. "I think they are inside, all the missing people."

He said he had been up so early to check the weather to see if he could go fishing, and surmised that a sudden waterspout had struck the yacht.

"It could be that the mast broke, or the anchor at the prow pulled it, I don't know," he said.

The seven who had not made it so far included one crew member and six passengers, the coast guard said.

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate 12 passengers in four double cabins, a triple and the master suite, plus crew accommodations, according to Charter World and Yacht Charters.

The vessel, which previously was named the "Salute" when it flew under a Dutch flag, featured a sleek, minimalist interior of light wood with Japanese accents designed by the French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions and photos on the sites.

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Seventh body recovered from sunken superyacht is believed to be owners daughter, search continues for crew of sunken cargo ship in greek waters, bayesian captain under investigation for shipwreck and manslaughter in sicily yacht disaster.

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Bayesian Superyacht Sinks in Italy With Tech Tycoon Aboard: Who’s Missing? Updates on the Tragedy

A superyacht named the Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily on August 19, 2024. There were thought to be 22 people on board when the ship went down, including tech tycoon Mike Lynch. The tragedy has left people scratching their heads and wondering what exactly happened to cause the yacht to sink and who is still missing.

What Happened to the Bayesian Yacht?

In the early hours of August 19, 2024, a strong storm caused a waterspout (a tornado that forms over water and creates columns of wind and mist) to form where the yacht had lowered its anchor for the night, according to Italian civil protection officials. Italian newspaper Giornale di Sicilia reported that Karsten Borner , the captain of a nearby yacht, saw the Bayesian during the storm. However, once the weather had calmed, he only saw a red flare glowing in the night sky.

When Borner saw the flare, he and some of his crew went to investigate. They discovered a lifeboat with 15 people on board. After getting them to safety aboard Borner’s yacht, he notified the Italian coast guard.

Sky News reported that the boat sank in less than 60 seconds.

“I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that,” Sailing Today magazine editor Sam Jefferson said, per Sky News .

The ship’s mast, one of the tallest in the world, broke in half and likely contributed to the speed at which the yacht sank.

Celebrity Crossword 17

Who is missing from the bayesian yacht.

Along with 10 crew members, the Bayesian also had 12 passengers on board, including Lynch, his wife, Angela Bacares , and 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. Bacares was with the 15 people in the lifeboat and was rescued on August 19, 2024. Authorities also found the body of who they presumed to be the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas.

Deal of the Day

Lynch’s body was recovered from the yacht on August 22, 2024, but divers were continuing to search for his daughter. The bodies of the other five people on board have been located. On August 23, 2024, sources close to the Italian coast guard reported to People that the “last person still missing in the Palermo shipwreck is identified,” meaning Hannah’s body had been found.

Mike Lynch Was Known as ‘Britain’s Bill Gates’

Lynch was involved in a financial fraud trial after he sold his company Autonomy for $11 billion to Hewlett Packard in 2011. Autonomy created a search engine that could pull data from internal business documents and email. Its goal was to aid business owners and large companies in finding data much faster.

The tech tycoon was accused of falsifying records and fired by Meg Whitman , Hewlett Packard’s CEO at the time, in May 2012. Lynch was extradited from the United Kingdom to face the charges, but he continually maintained his innocence. During the two and a half month trial, prosecutors brought more than 30 witnesses to testify against Lynch and claimed that he had finessed billions of dollars from Hewlett Packard. He was ultimately cleared of all charges, along with his codefendant, Stephen Chamberlain.

Two days before the Bayesian yacht sank with Lynch on board, Chamberlain was killed after being hit by a car while jogging.

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Bayesian superyacht autopsy reveals horrific way 2 victims died after ‘surviving sinking’

British tech tycoon mike lynch's yacht got caught in a storm off the coast of sicily in italy and sank, killing seven people..

An autopsy has revealed the harrowing way two victims of the Bayesian superyacht incident died after initially “surviving the sinking”.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s £14 million vessel got caught in a storm off the coast of Sicily on August 18 and sank, killing seven people. Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer and psychotherapist Judy Bloomer survived the initial sinking of the yacht .

The couple found an air bubble below the deck of the sunken boat and their autopsies now show that they suffocated after they ran out of oxygen.

Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that their lungs were "not full of water and neither were their stomachs or trachea".

READ MORE: Cause of death discovered for two passengers who died on Mike Lynch's £30m yacht

Experts said the air bubble that initially saved the couple would have run out very quickly and filled with "toxic carbon dioxide".

Autopsies carried out on another couple Chris and Neda Morvillo confirmed they both died by drowning, sources said on Monday. Officials found "no sign" of any other injuries which may have resulted in their deaths.

The remaining three autopsies will be completed throughout the rest of next week, this includes Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter Hannah Lynch, and Recaldo Thomas, the yacht chef.

DON'T MISS Mike Lynch's estate faces £3bn HP claim despite tragic death in yacht disaster [LATEST] Bayesian yacht crew member's heartbreaking five-word statement after tragedy [REPORT] The two reasons Bayesian yacht captain is 'remaining silent' after horror deaths [INSIGHT]

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The 14 surviving members of the crew and Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares managed to get on a life raft as the yacht was sinking in the early hours.

The captain, James Cutfield, and the crew are now being investigated by Italian police for multiple manslaughter and culpable shipwreck. The investigation does not imply guilt or mean formal charges will be brought against any of them.

Chief Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said there may have been “behaviours that were not perfectly in order with regard to the responsibility everybody had.” 

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Billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch among six missing as superyacht sinks

The captain of the Bayesian superyacht which sank off the coast of Sicily with billionaire owner Mike Lynch on board has broken his silence.

Superyacht victims didn’t drown

Drunk passenger tries to storm cockpit

Worker scams hotel of $35k with one word

The captain of the Bayesian superyacht has broken his silence after the vessel sank off the coast of Sicily.

The luxury yacht was hit by a tornado yesterday off the coast of Sicily at about 5am local time.

Six people are missing including the boat’s owner, billionaire tech tycoon Mike Lynch , 59, and his daughter, Hannah, 18.

It is feared some people became trapped in their cabins.

Captain speaks out

The $27 million Bayesian sank when its vast mast collapsed and the vessel capsized.

The ship’s captain James Calfield, 51, spoke from hospital yesterday and said had no idea the tornado was coming towards the ship.

“We didn’t see it coming,” he told La Repubblica.

Some 22 horrified passengers, made up of passengers and staff, screamed in fear as the boat flipped over.

Fifteen people were rescued, six are missing and one has already been found dead – understood to be the yacht’s cook.

A source close to the recovery operation also told AFP divers who recovered the first body had seen one of the missing six trapped inside the sunken vessel.

Specialist cave divers and their equipment were flown to Sicily to access the confined spaces of the wreck.

Legal battle

The passengers on board were celebrating Mr Lynch’s recent acquittal in a fraud trial, according to British newspaper The Telegraph .

The billionaire entrepreneur sold his tech firm Autonomy to US computing giant Hewlett-Packard for $US11 billion ($16b) in 2011, but a lengthy legal battle followed as he was accused of inflating the value of the company.

A San Francisco jury acquitted Mr Lynch, who has been dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates”, in June.

The guests on the doomed superyacht included staff from the legal firm Clifford Chance and Mr Lynch’s company Invoke Capital, the newspaper reported.

Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, is also among the missing people, according to British newspaper The Times.

Double tragedy as co-defendant dies in England

Eerily, Mr Lynch’s co-defendant in the fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car over the weekend. He had also been acquitted of all charges in June.

Mr Chamberlain was hit by a car on Saturday, local time, in Cambridgeshire and taken to hospital where he later died.

He was Autonomy’s vice president of finance before he left the company in 2012.

A source told The Telegraph : “Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running.

“He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity, and we deeply miss him. He fought successfully to clear his good name, which lives on through his wonderful family.”

The Sun understands he was taken off life support on Sunday, just hours before the yacht sank.

Mr Lynch told British newspaper The Times in July that he himself had “various medical things that would have made it difficult to survive” in an American prison.

“It’s bizarre, but now you have a second life. The question is, what do you want to do with it?” he said, speaking about the verdict.

Despite the acquittal, the fraud case is not closed, international news agency AFP reports.

In 2022, London’s High Court ruled in a civil fraud case that HP had been duped and had overpaid for Autonomy.

The court has yet to rule on the billions of dollars in damages claimed by the American group.

Also sued by HP, Autonomy’s former chief financial officer Sushovan Hussain was found guilty of fraud in 2018 by a US jury, with Hussain jailed for five years.

Luxury superyacht sinks

The 56-metre-long, $320,000-a-week vessel was struck by a sudden storm while moored off the coast of Porticello, east of Palermo.

Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, is among 15 people who have been rescued.

Three other Brits, two Americans, and one Canadian are among the remaining six missing.

An expert team of divers have already been able to locate the vessel 48 metres below the water on the seabed.

Almost all of the 22 passengers and crew on-board are said to have been inside their cabins and rooms when the weather took a turn.

A one-year-old British girl was rescued by her mum in the sea after the boat sank, before they were rushed to hospital.

Her mother Charlotte Golunski spoke about the frantic rescue, telling Giornale di Sicilia : “For two seconds I lost the baby in the sea, then I immediately hugged her again amid the fury of the waves.

“I held her tightly, close to me, while the sea was stormy. Many were screaming.

“Luckily the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us managed to get on board.”

The father was also on-board at the time of the horror ordeal.

Ms Golunski managed to swim over to one of the rafts where she and her daughter were taken to safety along with 11 others.

Camper & Nicholsons, the managers of the yacht, said in a statement that they were “assisting with the ongoing search” for the missing people.

“The boat was all lit up. Around 4:30am, it was no longer there,” said one witness cited by ANSA.

“A beautiful boat where there was a party. A normal joyous vacation day at sea turned into tragedy”.

Karsten Borner, the captain of another yacht anchored nearby at the time of the storm, said there was a “very strong hurricane gust” and he had to battle to keep his vessel steady.

All of a sudden “we noticed that the ship behind us was gone”, he told journalists in Porticello.

“We found this life raft … with a little baby, and the wife of the owner,” he said.

Fisherman Fabio Cefalu said he and other fishermen rushed to help after seeing a distress flare go up.

“But we didn’t find anyone in the sea, we only found cushions and the remains of the boat,” he told AFP.

Tech billionaire among those feared dead

Originally from Suffolk in east England, Mr Lynch was a former adviser to two British prime ministers and once a star entrepreneur who seemed to represent a rare tech British success story.

The businessman has a fortune of £500 million ($965 million) according to the latest Sunday Times “Rich List”, and owes his fame to his software firm Autonomy which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for $US11 billion ($16 billion) in 2011.

He founded the company in 1996 in Cambridge, where he earned his doctorate, and turned it into a leading British tech firm.

But just one year after the mega-deal, HP reported a writedown of $US8.8 billion ($13 billion) – including more than $US5 billion ($7.4 billion) it attributed to inflated data from Autonomy – plunging Mr Lynch into a decade-long fraud scandal.

Prosecutors accused him of taking part in a massive scheme as Autonomy’s chief executive to deceive HP by pumping up his company’s value before its sale.

Mr Lynch was extradited from Britain to the US in 2023 to stand trial, facing two decades in jail if convicted of the 17 charges and spending the year in house arrest.

But in June he was acquitted on all charges.

“I am looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” Mr Lynch said after the verdict was handed down in a San Francisco court.

Mr Lynch – who made around $US 815 million ($1.2 billion) from the Autonomy sale – always denied the fraud charges, accusing HP of making him a scapegoat for its own failings.

After returning to the UK, Lynch told The Times newspaper in July he had “various medical things that would have made it difficult to survive” in an American prison.

“It’s bizarre, but now you have a second life. The question is, what do you want to do with it?.” he told the publication after his acquittal.

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Father of two daughters aged 18 and 21, and a dog lover – owning two dachshunds and four sheepdogs – Mr Lynch has a home in the affluent London district of Chelsea, according to the newspaper, as well as owning a farm in Suffolk.

A spokeswoman for Mr Lynch declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

— with AFP

Harrowing details have been revealed about the final moments of the Bayesian superyacht victims and the troubling way they perished.

An allegedly drunk plane passenger has caused chaos mid-air, terrorising others on-board, when he attempted to storm the cockpit of an easyJet flight.

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Tycoon reveals chilling theory on why superyacht sank

• Entrepreneur Scott Painter said Mike Lynch's yacht was 'vulnerable' to capsizing
• He called the Lynch a 'legend' and the incident a 'tragedy'
•  READ MORE: Brit tycoon and 18-year old daughter among feared dead

An American entrepreneur linked to a billionaire missing after his superyacht sank has revealed a chilling theory on why it sunk.

Scott Painter - who took over missing Mike Lynch's Autonomy brand - says the Bayesian may have been more vulnerable to capsizing in bad weather because of the height of its mast.

Painter, who is based in the US, told DailyMail.com The Bayesian 'had an unusually large mast for a sloop.' (single-masted ship)

'The mast was the ultimate sailor's bragging right,' Painter told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'That mast must've been over 240 feet tall, which is either the tallest or second tallest in the world.'

He added: 'That could certainly contribute to a capsize as it would destabilize the yacht. And if it were to lean over too far, it could absolutely capsize the yacht.'

Painter says he received panicked calls from family and friends fearing he may have been on board the vessel and was glad to reassure them that he was fine.

Tragically, at least one person was killed in Monday morning's sinking during a storm off the coast of Palermo in Sicily. Six - including Lynch - remain missing.  

Painter, CEO of the largest EV subscription business in the US operating under the Autonomy brand, said he was shocked and saddened by the news of Lynch's disappearance.

Lynch, who is one of the UK's richest men and worth an estimated £852million ($1.1 billion), remains unaccounted for, along with his 18-year-old daughter.

His wife - Angela Bacares - was rescued and recovering from her injuries.

The Bayesian carried 10 crewmembers, Lynch, his wife and daughter Hannah as well as nine other guests.

'We are praying for positive news,' Painter told DailyMail.com. 'Mike is a legend and the loss of him and his daughter would truly be tragic.' 

The vessel was spotted on the sea bed 160ft beneath the Sicilian coast. 

Six of the passengers - who include four British and two unnamed American citizens - still remain unaccounted for, with some in the tech community initially fearing that  Painter also was on the ill-fated voyager.

The body of the boat's chef, Canadian Ricardo Thomas, was found floating alongside the vessel earlier today. 

British mother Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old baby named Sofia  were reported to be among those rescued by a nearby sailboat.

Lynch, 59, who was often referred to as 'British's Bill Gates', sold his UK business software firm Autonomy to the American tech giant Hewlett-Packard for $11billion in 2011.  

But the deal turned sour after he was accused of cooking the books to make the sale. Lynch was fired by HP’s then-CEO Meg Whitman, which resulted in a decade-long legal battle.

British firm Micro Focus took over some of HP's remaining assets from its 2011 purchase of Autonomy. 

Painter, who founded auto retailer TrueCar, and entrepreneur Georg Bauer, acquired the Autonomy brand and its IP library from tech firm Micro Focus in 2021.

Painter developed an all-electric vehicle subscription company and maintained the name Autonomy. 

He has since developed a new company called Autonomy Data Services that provides a software platform where automakers can operate their own subscription services for electric, gas, new, or even used cars, according to TechCrunch.com. 

When news of Lynch's boat sinking in Sicily made international headlines, Painter said his friends and family were worried he might've been one of the passengers on the luxury yacht.

Painter confirmed Bauer, who is Autonomy's president and chairman, also was not on the Bayesian luxury yacht.

'Mr. Bauer is safe in Munich and was not involved at all,' Painter told DailyMail.com. 'It's pretty crazy news. That boat was exceptional. It doesn't make much sense.'

Lynch and his family and friends were enjoying their trip on the coast of Italy just two months after he was acquitted of fraud and conspiracy charges related to the multibillion dollar HP deal. 

The tech giant was extradited from the UK in to face criminal charges in a San Francisco federal court in March.

Prosecutors alleged he ran a massive scam against HP in connection to its 2011 acquisition of Autonomy, a software firm that Lynch founded in 1996 and then oversaw as CEO in Britain. 

Prosecutors called more than 30 witnesses during Lynch's criminal trial in attempt to prove allegations that he cooked the books and bilked billions of dollars from HP.

Lynch denied the allegations and said he was being made into HP’s scapegoat, which he reiterated when he took the stand during the 11-week criminal trial.

Lynch was facing the possibility of spending 25 years in a US federal prison if he was found guilty but on June 6, the jury acquitted the tech tycoon on all 15 felony counts.

The father of two returned to the UK shortly after the trial and said he was thankful to get a 'second life'. 

Speaking in his first newspaper interview , he told The Times: 'I'd had to say goodbye to everything and everyone, because I didn't know if I'd ever be coming back.'

He added: 'If this had gone the wrong way, it would have been the end of my life as I have known it in any sense.

'It's bizarre, but now you have a second life - the question is, what do you want to do with it?'

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Four victims of Bayesian superyacht 'had no water in their lungs' amid fears they 'suffocated in cabin air pocket'

5 September 2024, 06:16

By Emma Soteriou

Four of the victims who died on the Bayesian superyacht are feared to have suffocated in a cabin air pocket.

Listen to this article

Seven people died after the superyacht sunk off the coast of Sicily last month, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah.

Of the 22 passengers and crew aboard the boat, 15 were rescued, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares.

Autopsies carried out on four of the victims at Palermo's Policlinico hospital have shown that no water was in their lungs, according to local media.

It means there is a chance they could have been conscious as the yacht went down, La Republica said.

The lungs of Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley's London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife Judy were "not full of water and neither were their stomachs or trachea", it was reported.

The couple are said to have "suffocated" after oxygen ran out in an air bubble below deck.

However it is unlikely to have lasted long as it would have been "small and quickly filled with rising levels of toxic carbon dioxide".

Read more: Autopsies reveal cause of death of two Bayesian superyacht victims as probe into incident continues

Read more: Bayesian yacht captain claims he 'did everything he could' to save passengers and 'abandoned no one’ as he leaves Italy

It comes after the first autopsies were carried out on lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda on Monday.

Autopsies showed they also had no water in their lungs.

Mr Morvillo was one of Mr Lynch's US lawyers in a fraud case involving the sale in 2011 of Autonomy, a search engine company that became a symbol of British ingenuity, to Hewlett-Packard.

The 11 billion dollar (£8.3 billion) deal quickly turned sour over allegations Mr Lynch had cooked the books to overvalue Autonomy.

He was acquitted in June, with the yacht trip having been organised by Mr Lynch to celebrate his victory.

Post-mortem examinations on the tech tycoon and his daughter are set to be carried out on Friday.

All of the victims in the incident were passengers aside from chef Recaldo Thomas.

Prosecutors are investigating captain James Cutfield, 51, and two crew members for possible responsibility in connection with the sinking.

The investigations do not imply guilt or mean that formal charges will be brought against any of them.

Mr Cutfield's lawyers said last week that he had been "too shaken up" to answer questions from officials.

An unnamed source close to the captain later told The Sun that he did "everything possible" to save those on board.

The 56-metre (184ft) British-flagged luxury yacht sank during what appeared to have been a sudden downburst or localised powerful wind from a thunderstorm that spreads rapidly after hitting the surface.

Prosecutors said raising the Bayesian and examining the yacht for evidence would provide key elements to the investigation.

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Last minutes of superyacht victims revealed

Harrowing details have been revealed about the final moments of the Bayesian superyacht victims and the troubling way they perished.

Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News.

WARNING: Distressing details

The last agonising moments of four of those who died when the Bayesian superyacht went down off the coast of Italy last month have been revealed.

According to Italian reports, the passengers did not die of classic water drowning and could have remained alive for several minutes as the boat sank while they were “fighting for every molecule of oxygen”.

The $A27 million vessel was caught up in a storm off the coast of northern Sicily on August 19, capsizing and sinking to the sea floor.

The Bayesian was owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch who had recently been acquitted of US fraud charges.

Of the 22 people on board, mostly friends of Mr Lynch and the boat’s crew, 15 survived.

The bodies of six of the seven who died were found in cabins.

Italian media agency ANSA has reported that post-mortem examinations have now been concluded into four of those who perished: Morgan Stanley finance firm executive Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

‘Dry drowning’

The Institute of Forensic Medicine in Palermo found no water in the lungs of the four indicating they did not drown.

The group were found in a cabin which likely acted as a temporary air pocket. But as the oxygen supply diminished the air would have been replaced with carbon dioxide meaning the four would have eventually succumbed to suffocation.

Divers found the bodies on the left side of the cabin, the report said, suggesting they were seeking the last vestiges of air as the vessel tilted to the right.

There were no signs of injuries among the four.

“Forensic doctors have determined that it was a ‘death by confinement,’” reported Italian newspaper La Repubblica .

“The so-called ‘dry drowning’ is an aspect that supports the hypothesis that the six found in the wreck were awake … but did not have the opportunity to reach the upper deck and remained trapped in the cabin area”.

Dry drowning is not a medical term but is sometimes used to describe a situation when the airway spasms and closes preventing air - and indeed water - from reaching the lungs.

‘Fought for the last molecule of oxygen’

“For the seven victims of the Bayesian, it would have been enough to reach the main deck to save themselves,” the newspaper continued.

“Instead, they were left with no way out, they fought for the last molecule of oxygen.”

It’s been speculated that Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Becares, who survived, may have been awake and alerted the group to the stricken boat’s condition but was unable to save them.

The post mortem examination of Mr Lynch, his daughter Hannah and the boat’s chef Recaldo Thomas, will begin this week.

An investigation into suspected manslaughter has now been opened by Italian prosecutors.

The Bayesian’s captain James Cutfield, ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are all under investigation. None of them have been charged and criminal charges may not eventuate.

Mr Griffith is understood to have been on watch duty the night of the tragedy, while Mr Parker Eaton is suspected of having failed to protect the vessel’s engine room and operating systems when it was hit by a storm in the early hours of August 19.

Reports suggest crew bedrooms have been searched, with at least two phones seized.

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Originally published as Last minutes of superyacht victims revealed

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Western countries including the United States and the EU have imposed unprecedented sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including placing oligarchs and other individuals close to Putin on sanctions lists.

Yachts owned by Russia's richest have been seized by various nations, as U.S. President Joe Biden vowed that allies are "coming for your ill-begotten gains."

Abramovich, who also owns an even bigger yacht, the 162-meter Eclipse, has also been hit with a U.K. assets freeze and travel ban.

The 55-year-old Abramovich, who bought Chelsea in 2003, has denied claims that he bought the London club on Putin's orders, to expand Russia's influence abroad in the early 2000s.

Turkey has called Russia's invasion "unacceptable" and positioned itself as a mediator for an end to the war. 

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Bayesian yacht sinking latest: Captain ‘insists he did everything he could’ to save passengers

Captain james cutfield, ship engineer tim parker eaton and sailor matthew griffith all under investigation for manslaughter, article bookmarked.

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The captain of the Bayesian has insisted that he did everything possible to save those on board the superyacht , according to local reports.

Sources close to James Cutfield, 51, told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that the 51-year-old New Zealander is currently living through the darkest days of his life as he is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.

They reportedly said Mr Cutfield repeatedly insists that he did not abandon any of the 22 passengers and crew and that he did everything could could to save them.

However, there reached a point when he could do little as the vessel had taken on too much water, they added.

Since Wednesday, Tim Parker Eaton, the engineer who was in charge of securing the yacht’s engine room, and sailor Matthew Griffith, who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster, are also under investigation for the same possible charges , their lawyer said on Friday.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who were killed after his superyacht capsized and went down on 19 August within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm off the coast of Sicily .

Who was on the Bayesian?

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people initially unaccounted for after his superyacht Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of 19 August.

Last Saturday morning, Italian authorities announced a manslaughter investigation had been launched into the deaths of seven people, after a five-day operation that has seen divers carefully navigating their way into the cabin bedrooms.

After a decade-long legal battle which had seen him extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mr Lynch had celebrated by inviting his close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude.

Here’s what we know about the 22 people on board:

Who was on Bayesian and how they were celebrating end of Mike Lynch’s court battles

Italian authorities announced a manslaughter investigation had been launched into the deaths of seven people

Ex-court appointed guard says Mike Lynch ‘became more like a family’

A court-appointed armed guard, tasked with ensuring Mike Lynch did not abscond while facing fraud charges, has paid tribute to the tech mogul, saying the security team “became less of a detail and more like a family”.

Rolo Igno also described “the memory of a beautiful soul” in Mr Lynch’s daughter Hannah, 18, after they died in the sinking of the luxury superyacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily early on 19 August.

Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, and was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its 11 billion dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard, after a trial at a federal court in San Francisco , California.

Ellie Ng reports:

Rolo Igno also paid tribute to ‘the memory of a beautiful soul’ in Mr Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

Three crew members under investigation left Italy on Wednesday

The three crew members who are under investigation over the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht left Italy on Wednesday, according to a lawyer.

The ship’s captain, New Zealander James Cutfield, Tim Parker Eaton, the engineer who was in charge of securing the yacht’s engine room, and sailor Matthew Griffith, who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster, have all been placed under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.

Lawyer Mario Scopesi said that both Parker Eaton and Griffith left Italy on Wednesday, along with Cutfield and the rest of the crew.

Teenager who died in superyacht tragedy was ‘diamond in sea of stars’

The daughter of tech tycoon Mike Lynch, who died with her father on the luxury superyacht Bayesian, has been described as a “diamond in a sea of stars” by a survivor from the tragedy.

Hannah Lynch, aged 18, was one of 22 people onboard her father’s luxury boat the Bayesian when it capsized during stormy weather on 19 August.

Her body was discovered along with her father by rescue teams following the disaster off the island of Sicily. A manslaughter investigation has since been launched by Italian authorities.

Teenager who died in superyacht tragedy was ‘a diamond in a sea of stars’

Hannah Lynch was among seven people, including her father Mike, who died after the luxury superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily

Watch: Moment Bayesian yacht engulfed by storm

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Prada at Sail: How the House’s Luna Rossa Yachts Inspired Its Linea Rossa Line—and Blew Onto Its Runways

This weekend the fashion world’s attention will be turned firmly towards the runways of New York. At Prada, however, they will be keeping at least half an eye on the Mediterranean waters off Barcelona. For this is where the Milanese house is driving its seventh attempt to win the world’s oldest international sporting competition: The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup.

The Prada Linea collection at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup.

Fashion and sailing typically only intersect during preppy revivals (deck shoes) or at parties off Cannes (where the superyachts don’t come with sails, so strictly don’t even really count). Yet since 1997 and driven by the passion of chairman Patrizio Bertelli, Prada has persistently been locked in a deadly serious campaign to claim the sport’s greatest prize. Miuccia Prada christened the team’s latest boat—the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli AC75–earlier this year and during its opening days of competition over the last few weeks it has only narrowly avoided being struck by lightning as this year’s competition heats up.

The Prada Luna Rossa in the Mediterranean.

While the ultimate objective is to contribute to Italy’s first-ever successful attempt on the (currently New Zealand-held) cup, Prada’s involvement in sailing has also indirectly helped steer it through the choppy waters of fashion. Back in 1997, as Prada prepared its first Luna Rossa challenge, it launched the Linea Rossa—the line in which it has outfitted its sailors ever since.

As Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group’s CMO and Head of CSR, said in an email: “Prada has combined the knowledge gained from developing technical sportswear for the Luna Rossa team with Prada’s aesthetics, resulting in the Linea Rossa collection.” He added: “The attitude to introduce technical fabrics and refinements typically belonging to sportswear into the everyday formal wardrobe embodies Prada’s unconventional spirit.”

Prada Linea Rossa fall 2021 campaign. Photo: Courtesy of Prada

Most especially in menswear, “technical” is often used as an adjective to indicate high-performance function—or at least the appearance of it—through technologically advanced fabrications. At Linea Rossa the garments, footwear, and eyewear are all rooted in that core performance sailing origin, which means the functionality and robustness of the products is more reliably high-spec, akin less to fashion pieces and more to items of industrial design.

Prada, spring 1999 menswear. Photo: Courtesy of Prada

Prada, fall 1999 menswear. Photo: Courtesy of Prada

That functionality hasn’t sunk Linea Rossa’s chances of the occasional appearance on Prada’s highest podium. In 1999, Linea Rossa featured on both men’s and women’s mainline runways (the menswear linked-hands section was especially memorable), and it made a return in 2000. The red line reappeared on both runways for a relaunch in 2018, just at the point when the house was setting sail from its longstanding home on Via Fogazzaro to its new berth at Fondazione Prada. The next time we saw Linea Rossa on the runway was during a stand-out section of its spring 2020 show in Shanghai. It most recently re-emerged during the doldrums of Covid, for spring summer 2021’s The Show That Never Happened .

Prada, spring 2020 menswear. Photo: Courtesy of Prada

Prada, spring 2021 menswear. Photo: Courtesy of Prada

Prada, fall 2018 menswear. Photo: Courtesy of Prada

According to Vogue’s skeleton crew of sailing watchers (just me, I think) this year’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli craft and crew seem strong contenders to emerge from the opening “challenger” stages as winners of the right to take on New Zealand for the America’s Cup. For fashion reasons as much as sailing ones let’s hope they do it—because such a famous victory would surely herald another Linea Rossa runway moment.