The body of Hannah Lynch, daughter of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, has been found inside the Bayesian superyacht this afternoon as gutted family and friends pay tribute to the ‘ferociously intelligent’ student, 18. Divers retrieved the body of her father, Mike Lynch OBE, in the same yacht on Thursday, August 22, after the 56-metre-long luxury yacht capsized off Porticello, east of Palermo, as a result of violent winds and rain. Up until this afternoon, every passenger reported missing following the accident, bar the 18-year-old, had been recovered from the wreckage, but following further search efforts, the teenager was located inside the Bayesian at approximately noon today.
Italian coastguard official Vincenzo Zagarola confirmed to the Sun that the search for Ms Lynch had not been ‘easy or quick’, comparing the wreck to an ’18-storey building full of water’. It is understood that her body was seen being lifted onto the Porticello quayside by rescue workers from the Italian fire service, who then brought her to a white tent which was positioned beside a waiting ambulance. The heartbreaking discovery brings the number of deceased persons from the tragic accident to seven and brings to a close a gruelling five-day search operation for the sunken wreckage.
Tributes have poured in for the gifted teenager, who has been remembered as ‘ferociously intelligent’ after it emerged that Ms Lynch had secured a place at the University of Oxford to study English in the days leading to the tragedy. A spokesperson for the Lynch family said in a statement that the family were ‘devastated’ and ‘in shock’ at the loss of Hannah and her dad Mike. The statement read: ‘Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.
‘They would like to sincerely thank the Italian Coast Guard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue.’ The destruction of the £14m (€16.5m) yacht during torturous weather conditions on Monday, August 19, saw 15 of the 22 passengers rescued by the Italian Coast Guard, with the remaining seven becoming trapped or lost within the wreckage.
Angela Bacares, 57, the wife of tycoon Mike Lynch and adoring mum of Hannah, was one of the 15 people who escaped the vessel in a tiny lifeboat after it capsized. Diving teams recovered the four bodies of Jonathan and Judy Bloomer and Chris and Neda Morvillo, who were guests on the yacht, on Wednesday. Renaldo Thomas – the yacht chef – was found dead on Monday near the boat.
Italian media has reported that the victims were found on the opposite side of the yacht to their cabins, which suggested they may have been trying to escape the incoming water by reaching the higher ground. Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, head of English at the London Latymer School in Hammersmith, where Ms Lynch was a student, paid tribute to the teen, applauding her intelligence and grace. He said: ‘I’ve never taught someone who combined sky-high intellectual ability with warmth and enthusiasm in the way Hannah did.
‘She lit up the classroom with her energy, passion for learning and sheer intelligence (though never with a hint of arrogance). ‘One of the best English students in the country, she scored 100% in her English Literature GCSE. ‘She was so excited to start studying English at Oxford, a goal she had worked so hard towards.
‘I taught Hannah for four years. I will remember her for what she taught me: kindness, compassion and commitment.’ Mike Lynch is believed to have had two daughters.
Hannah is the youngest, and their eldest daughter is currently in Porticello, helping her mother. Five days of searching for the underwater wreck have ended, and Italian officials have yet to make a public statement on the latest development. According to an official at the scene who spoke with AFP on Thursday, all the missing men had been located.
The only person left on the list is a woman who could only be Hannah. At approximately 5 am on Monday, August 19, the 184-foot Bayesian was battered by a rare ‘Black Swan’ waterspout and plunged under the waves..
