British tech entrepreneur, Mike Lynch, is among six people missing after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily during an unexpected storm on Monday. The 56-meter luxury yacht was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo, when it was hit by sudden violent winds and rain in the early hours of the morning. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 people who were rescued, but both Lynch, 59, and his daughter, Hannah, remain unaccounted for.
The head of Sicily’s Civil Protection Agency, Salvo Cocina, confirmed the missing persons to AFP. Bacares, who sustained minor injuries, was seen being transported to a hospital in Termini Imerese. Meanwhile, divers involved in the search operations discovered the first body in the area and reported that one of the missing individuals was trapped inside the sunken vessel.
A British survivor, identified as Charlotte Golunski, described the harrowing experience to the ANSA news agency, recounting how the boat was hit by a powerful gust of wind and sank shortly afterward. Golunski, who was aboard with her one-year-old daughter, Sophia, said she nearly lost her child in the chaos but managed to keep her safe by holding her tightly while the storm raged. Golunski eventually made it to a life raft.
The yacht, named the Bayesian and flying a British flag, had 22 people onboard, including 10 crew members. Most of the passengers were British and were guests of Lynch, according to Italian media. The yacht was reportedly struck by a waterspout.