The British tech millionaire Mike Lynch, 59, has been found dead after a luxury yacht carrying a number of British citizens sank off the coast of Sicily at about 5am on Monday August 19.
Lynch, 59, had earlier been reported missing following an incident involving a 56-metre sailing boat called Bayesian, which was carrying 22 people when it sank during a storm.
Earlier today, his body was found and identified by divers on the Sicily coast. Lynch had recently been acquitted of fraud following the $11 billion (£8.64 billion) sale of his firm Autonomy to HP.
In a statement released on Monday, the Italian Coastguard said: “This morning at about 5.00am, following a violent storm, a 56-metre yacht called Bayesian flying the British flag sank near Porticello.”
Angela Bacares, Lynch's wife, was rescued but his daughter Hannah, 18, remains missing.
Speaking about the incident to the Italian media, Giovanni Constantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group suggested that the sinking had been caused by a human error.
"The ship sank because it took on water. From where? Investigators will have to say," he told television news programme TG1.
In a statement, the City Council of Bagheria said a boat "suddenly sank, probably due to the bad weather conditions" after "a strong thunderstorm hit our territory and the coast."
The council added: "Rescue operations have made it possible to rescue 16 people, unfortunately six others are still missing. At the request of the Command of the Carabinieri Station of Bagheria, several volunteer organizations are going to the site to provide assistance to the population.
"The firefighters' divers dove to reach the hull, which appears to be 49 meters deep about half a mile from the coast."
The boat had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.”
Lynch sold his software company Autonomy to HP in 2011. Hewlett Packard (HP) took an $8.8 billion write-down and sold what was left of the company to Micro Focus in 2016.
In June 2024, a US jury cleared Lynch of all fraud charges in what attorneys described as a “resounding rejection” of a case brought by the US government against the Autonomy founder.
Stephen Chamberlain, an Autonomy executive and Lynch's co-defendant who was also acquitted, also died this week after being hit by a car in Stretham, England, on Saturday morning.
