The Italian Coastguard has confirmed that a body believed to be that of tech mogul Mike Lynch’s daughter, Hannah, has been found.
The superyacht sank after a ‘violent’ storm struck it off the coast of Sicily on Monday, August 19.
Local officials have now reported that the sixth and final missing person was located on the sunken yacht Bayesian on Friday, August 23. Previously, divers had discovered two bodies on Wednesday, August 21.
Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard noted that the search for Hannah was far from ‘easy or quick,’ likening the sunken yacht to an ’18-storey building full of water.’
Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International bank, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, and his wife Neda Morvillo were all on board when the yacht sank at around 5.00am earlier in the week.
Five bodies have already been recovered and brought ashore in the small fishing village of Porticello, approximately 11 miles from the Sicilian capital of Palermo.
According to PA, the sixth body was recovered from the wreck shortly before 1pm local time and transported to Porticello in a green body bag.
Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15—including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares—were rescued after escaping on a lifeboat.
The body of Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan national working as a chef on the yacht, was also retrieved at the scene of the sinking on Monday.
Gareth Williams, a friend of Thomas, told the BBC: “I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.”
Vincenzo Zagarola from the Italian coastguard provided updates to the media regarding the location of the missing individuals.
Speaking to PA news agency, he said: “We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea. Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.
“We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.”
A Reuters report on Thursday, August 22, indicated that a source close to the rescue operation confirmed Lynch’s body had been recovered from the wreck.
The body was reportedly taken to the port of Porticello in a blue body bag just after 8.45am local time yesterday.
The yacht trip was in celebration of Lynch’s acquittal in a US fraud case.
In 2011, Lynch was cleared of 15 counts of fraud after Silicon Valley giant Hewlett-Packard acquired his company, Autonomy, for $11.1 billion.