The luxury yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning, leaving six people missing and feared dead. The passengers, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hanna, had been celebrating Lynch’s recent acquittal of fraud charges in the United States. The yacht was moored half-a-mile off the coast of Porticello when it sank, with rescue efforts underway to search for the missing individuals believed to be trapped inside the vessel.
Italian authorities reported that bad stormy conditions caused the yacht to sink, although further investigations are ongoing. The body of the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan man, has been recovered near the wreckage. The rescue efforts are considered complex, with divers from Italy’s fire brigade attempting to enter the wreckage and look for signs of life. The location of the vessel, at a depth of 50 meters, is posing a significant challenge, with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Souppez, a senior lecturer at Aston University, believes that the next 24 hours are crucial to finding survivors trapped inside the wreck, as air pockets may have formed inside the vessel. The passengers on board included Lynch, his wife Angela Bacares, as well as other notable figures from the business and legal communities, including the chairman of Morgan Stanley and Hiscox, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, a psychotherapist.
Luxury Yacht’s Sinking Sends Shockwaves Through Communities. (Image via Getty)
As the rescue efforts unfold, friends and family of the missing individuals are waiting anxiously for news. Mike Lynch, known as Britain’s Bill Gates, is a British tech magnate who made his fortune through software firm Autonomy, which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for billions in 2011. His business ventures led him to be cleared of 15 fraud charges after allegations he inflated Autonomy’s worth.
The yacht, which was previously called Salute, was launched in 2008 and was renamed Bayesian after Lynch’s PhD thesis on statistical theory by mathematician Thomas Bayes. The yacht’s owner, Revtom Limited, is a company owned by Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares. The sinking of the yacht has sent shockwaves through the business and legal communities, with many expressing their condolences to the families of the missing individuals.
The incident is also sparking questions about the safety of private yachts and the effectiveness of rescue efforts in challenging conditions. As the search for the missing individuals continues, there is still no confirmation of whether anyone has survived the tragedy, and the families of the missing are left with the agonizing wait for news of their loved ones. With the authorities working tirelessly to locate the missing, the world waits with bated breath for any news, hoping that at least some of the six people feared dead will be found alive.
