The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been found in the wreckage of the Bayesian superyacht, according to Italian interior ministry official Massimo Mariani. However, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah is still missing, and divers continue to search the area where the yacht sank.
Earlier on Thursday, a fifth body was retrieved from the wreckage, which had gone down earlier in the week.
The British-flagged yacht, carrying 22 passengers and crew, sank rapidly after its mast, one of the tallest in the world, snapped during a severe storm.
Fifteen people were rescued on Monday, and one body, believed to be that of the ship’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered. Six others were initially reported missing.
As investigations into the cause of the disaster continue, Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the company that owns the yacht’s manufacturer, suggested that a series of preventable “mistakes” may have contributed to the sinking. He said, once the crew became aware of the storm, they should have secured the hull, closed all doors and hatches, and gathered all guests at the assembly point. Instead, water entered the ship, trapping guests in their cabins as the ship tilted. Costantino expressed disbelief, emphasizing that vessels like the Bayesian are designed to be “unsinkable” and are inherently safe.
Since the shipwreck, emergency crews have faced challenging conditions, with divers able to spend only about 12 minutes at a time at the wreck site, which lies 50 meters underwater. Early reports indicate that a small waterspout, a type of tornado, might have been responsible for the yacht’s rapid sinking. Italian and British authorities are both investigating the incident.
Unverified CCTV footage released on Wednesday seems to show the moments when the tornado struck the yacht. In the video, the boat is seen rocking violently before capsizing and disappearing in just 60 seconds, according to a witness who reviewed the footage.
Six people remain missing, including Lynchs’ daughter, and others, but Italian authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of all the recovered bodies, as formal identification processes are still underway.
