What was supposed to be a celebratory trip for British billionaire and tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his family and friends turned into a tragedy when the Bayesian yacht, flying a British flag, they were on sank off the coast of Sicily.
At about 3:50 am local time, a fierce storm unleashed winds strong enough to send chairs and tables flying onshore. It is believed that a waterspout, a type of mini-tornado, tore through the Bayesian, resulting in the yacht’s sinking, Sky News reported.
Fifteen of the 22 passengers and crew members were taken to safety in a small fishing village in Porticello, but the rest of them, including Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, International Bank Chair of Morgan Stanley Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, New York lawyer Christopher Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan chef Recaldo Thomas, all lost their lives.
Hannah’s body wasn’t located until five days later.
After extensive search and rescue efforts, divers managed to locate the bodies of five victims earlier in the week, leaving Hannah as the only person still unaccounted for. On Friday, her body was finally discovered, marking the end of a desperate search.
Hannah’s mother, Angela Bacares, was among the survivors as she was able to escape onto a lifeboat before the yacht was completely submerged.
At the time of the tragedy, Mike Lynch was celebrating his recent acquittal of fraud charges in the United States.
Overcome with sorrow, Esme Lynch, Hannah’s sister, spoke fondly of her late sibling. Esme remembered how Hannah would often burst into her room, bringing an overwhelming sense of love and joy with her.
“Sometimes beaming with a smile, sometimes cheeky, sometimes for advice. No matter what, she brought boundless love to me.
“She was endlessly caring, passionately mad, unintentionally hilarious and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me.
“And on top of all this, she had even more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals.
“She is my little angel, my star.”
Italian authorities are now investigating the accident.
According to the prosecutor, there “could be a question of manslaughter” and announced the launch of a shipwreck investigation, which does not target any specific individual. Ambrogio Cartosio indicated that the incident might have been caused by “behaviours that were not in order” and added that other lines of investigation have not been ruled out and noted that investigators are not ruling out other potential leads.
Our thoughts and prayers go to the grieving families.
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