As the search for missing tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his five friends entered its 36th hour, a tragic realization began to sink in – the chances of them being alive are dwindling. The Bayesian, a luxury yacht, sank swiftly in a tornado off the coast of Sicily, leaving no survivors on board. The Coast Guard official, Vincenzo Zagarola, confirmed that the working theory is that the six missing individuals are still trapped inside the boat, as it sank too quickly for them to escape. While there is a possibility that they may not be alive, Zagarola admitted that it is a complicated situation.
The yacht, which was moored around half a mile off the coast of Porticello, sank at approximately 5 am local time on Monday as a storm rolled in. The vessel’s entrance is complex, and the Italian fire brigade, Vigili del Fuoco, is planning to enter the wreckage, which lies at a depth of 50 meters. The missing tourists include Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, and his wife Neda. Mike Lynch’s father was from Co Cork, and his mother was from Co Tipperary.
Fears for Missing Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch Sink With Yacht (Image via Getty)
Italy’s fire brigade has described the operation as complex, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts. Fifteen of the 22 passengers and crew onboard, including Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat. One body, reportedly belonging to the ship’s chef, was recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday.
The tragedy comes shortly after Mike Lynch was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to an $11 billion sale to US company Hewlett Packard. The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal, with friends and colleagues on board. Jonathan Bloomer, a close friend and Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, appeared as a defense witness for Lynch during the trial.
The incident has sent shockwaves, with a spokesperson for Morgan Stanley saying the bank is “shocked and saddened.” Clifford Chance, the law firm, also issued a statement expressing their condolences. The British ambassador to Italy, Ed Llewellyn, met with some of the survivors and extended his condolences. Ayla Ronald, a New Zealand national working at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal, while her father, Lin Ronald, revealed that she had been invited aboard as a thank-you for her assistance in Lynch’s recent court case. Other survivors, including Charlotte Emsley, a British tourist, recounted harrowing tales of clinging to her young daughter to prevent her from drowning.
