"Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch Among Six Missing After Luxury Yacht Sinks Off Sicily"

British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter are among six individuals missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday. The 56-meter (183-foot) yacht, named Bayesian, was carrying 22 people, including British, American, and Canadian nationals. So far, 15 survivors have been rescued, including a one-year-old British girl.

The yacht capsized around 05:00 local time following a severe storm that caused waterspouts—rotating columns of air similar to tornadoes—to form over the sea. The storm led to the vessel losing its balance and sinking near the village of Porticello, close to Palermo.

Mike Lynch, known for co-founding the software company Autonomy, and his daughter are reported missing along with the yacht’s chef. Local media reported that the yacht’s anchor was down during the storm, causing the mast to break and the ship to overturn. Divers have located the wreckage 50 meters below the surface and are continuing the search for the missing.

Sicily’s civil protection agency director, Salvatore Cocina, confirmed that the search will continue overnight. The body of an unidentified man was found outside the wreckage, and the yacht’s ownership is linked to Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who has been rescued.

Among the survivors, a 35-year-old mother was reported to have clung to her one-year-old daughter in the turbulent sea. Both were later rescued and treated, with the mother receiving stitches. The survivors have been described as “very tired” and emotionally distressed at a local hospital.

The sinking occurred as severe storms have been affecting the western Mediterranean. The yacht’s captain and crew reported seeing a red flare from the sinking vessel and managed to rescue survivors from a life raft.

The UK Foreign Office is assisting British nationals and their families affected by the incident, and Britain’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch is sending a team to assess the situation.

The Bayesian, which can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites, is registered to Revtom Ltd., with the yacht’s name reflecting the Bayesian theory on which Lynch’s PhD thesis was based.

This tragedy coincides with the death of Lynch’s co-defendant in a high-profile fraud case, Stephen Chamberlain, who was recently killed in a car accident in Cambridgeshire.