According to two news sources, search and rescue personnel declared British IT entrepreneur Mike Lynch dead after his boat capsized off the coast of Sicily during a fierce storm.
Lynch, 59, the founder of Autonomy Corporation, was among six individuals missing after the British-flagged 56-meter sailing boat Bayesian overturned off the coast of Palermo about 5am local time due to a tornado.
Lynch’s body was discovered in the wreck, according to Reuters and AFP, citing individuals familiar with the rescue operation.
His wife, Angela Bacares, was rescued, but his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, remains missing.
Lynch, once dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates,” has spent the last decade in court defending himself against claims of fraud in the sale of Autonomy to US computer major Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion (£7 billion).
In June, a jury in San Francisco acquitted him after over a year of house imprisonment.
Lord Browne, chairman of the Francis Crick Institute, was one of the first to express respect for Lynch. In a post on X, he writes: “Mike Lynch should be remembered as the person who catalysed a breed of deep tech entrepreneurs in the UK.”
“His ideas and personal vision made a significant contribution to science and technology in Britain and around the world.” I extend my condolences to those closest to him. We have lost a very talented individual.”
Lynch served on the Create the Change fundraising board, which was established by Cancer Research UK to help fund the institute’s construction.
In a post on X, Lynch’s co-founder at Autonomy, David Tabizel, wrote: “It looks like we’ve lost our dear Dr. Mike Lynch.” RIP. The world has lost a genius. His family has lost a behemoth of a man.
Lynch, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering since 2008, was a mentor, donor, and former council member. The academy expressed deep sadness over his death. He was also one of the first members of the enterprise committee. Our sympathies are with his family and friends right now.”
Earlier on Thursday, a senior official told the Guardian that divers had discovered a fifth body from the ship.
Salvatore Cocina, the chief of Sicily’s civil protection department, confirmed that the fifth body found inside the boat had been successfully collected and delivered to Porticello’s pier.
According to Italian media, the victims rescued on Wednesday included Chris Morvillo and his wife, Nada, as well as Jonathan Bloomer, executive head of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife, Judy. The sixth body of a lady, believed to be Lynch’s daughter Hannah, has yet to be discovered.
The bodies were sent to hospitals in the nearby city of Palermo. They haven’t been formally identified.
The yacht, which had 22 passengers on board, sank during a violent storm on Monday. There were 15 survivors, including a 1-year-old daughter.