British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch‘s body has been retrieved by search and rescue authorities after his yacht sank off the coast of Sicily during a violent storm. He has been confirmed dead, according to officials.
Lynch, 59, the founder of Autonomy Corporation, was among six people reported missing after the Bayesian, a 183-foot vessel, sank around 5 a.m. local time on Monday, August 19. The yacht was struck by a tornadic waterspout during the storm. The boat’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was also confirmed dead on Monday, while 15 others survived the disaster.
The tycoon’s wife, Angela Bacares, was rescued on Monday, but his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, remains unaccounted for.
Massimo Mariani, an interior ministry official, told Reuters after being briefed by emergency services that Hannah may be inside the wreck or could have been thrown into the sea as the boat sank.
A spokesperson for the Italian fire brigade stated that it could take days to locate the last missing person, given the challenges faced by divers working at a wreck site 50 meters (165 feet) below the surface.
The Italian coastguard also confirmed that the bodies of Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, lawyer Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda Morvillo were recovered after being discovered on the vessel the previous day.
Lynch was a prominent figure in the UK tech industry, often compared to Microsoft founder Bill Gates for his success in backing innovative companies. His death comes just months after he was acquitted in federal court in San Francisco of criminal fraud charges related to the $11 billion sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
David Tabizel, Lynch’s co-founder at Autonomy, said, “It looks like we’ve lost our dear Dr. Mike Lynch. RIP. The world has lost a genius. His family has lost a giant of a man.”
Andrew Kanter, a close friend and colleague of Lynch, remarked, “He was the most brilliant mind and caring person I have ever known. Over nearly a quarter century, I had the privilege of working beside someone unrivaled in their understanding of technology and business.”
