British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah were tragically discovered dead inside the wreckage of their family yacht, which sank off the coast of Sicily, according to a report by the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.
Rescue divers, who had been searching the wreck of the yacht, initially found two bodies inside the sunken vessel. The recovery operation was described as “long and complex” due to the challenging conditions. The yacht lies on its side at a depth of approximately 50 meters, with divers having to navigate through debris and furniture blocking the interior spaces. Each dive was limited to just 8-10 minutes before the divers needed to resurface.
In addition to the diving efforts, the Italian coast guard deployed a remotely operated vehicle to scan the seabed, taking underwater pictures and videos. These images could provide crucial evidence for prosecutors investigating the cause of the disaster.
Authorities have been questioning survivors, including the captain of the Bayesian, the 56-meter-long (184-foot) superyacht, which capsized during a violent storm on Monday. Witnesses from nearby yachts who saw the ship go down have also been interviewed. As of now, no one has been placed under investigation.
The Bayesian, which carried 22 people, was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo, when it was caught in the storm. The yacht, owned by Lynch’s wife, was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and underwent a refit in 2020. It was renowned for having the world’s tallest aluminum mast, standing at 72 meters.
