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, a type of mini-tornado that forms over water.
Another yacht captain, Karsten Borner, who was anchored nearby, described the storm as a “very strong hurricane gust” and recalled the moment he realized the other ship had disappeared. He and his crew later discovered a life raft carrying a baby and Lynch’s wife. Fisherman Fabio Cefalu and other local fishermen rushed to assist after spotting a distress flare, but they found only debris from the yacht floating in the water.
Waterspouts, often forming during severe thunderstorms, are columns of rotating wind and water that descend from clouds. National Geographic describes them as resembling mini-tornadoes over water. Just hours after the storm, the sea had calmed as rescue teams brought a body ashore.
Among the survivors were individuals with dual French and British citizenship, as well as nationals from Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Ireland. Camper & Nicholsons, the management company for the yacht, released a statement saying they are “assisting with the ongoing search” for those still missing. Italian authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
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