Businessman Mike Lynch was retrieved from a submerged watercraft.
Following the sinking of the high-end yacht "Bayesian" off Sicily's Italian coast, a fifth deceased individual was retrieved from the vessel's interior. The unfortunate soul was retrieved from the depths of 50 meters, where the luxury yacht now lies. It's rumored to be British business magnate Mike Lynch. His 18-year-old daughter remains unaccounted for.
Before this, the bodies of the ship's chef and two couples had been discovered. In all, seven lives were lost during the incident that happened on Monday. Fifteen individuals managed to survive, including Lynch's spouse.
On Wednesday afternoon, Italian broadcasting station Rai and several British media outlets initially reported that Lynch's body had been recovered. However, these reports were later found to be untrue. At that point, any hope of survival in an air pocket had already vanished.
Possible causes of the disaster
The ship's crew and passengers seemed to be taken by surprise by an approaching storm. The details of the incident are still unclear. The injured ship's captain was interrogated by Italian law enforcement for several hours. He was quoted as saying, "We didn't see it coming." However, there are doubts surrounding this account.
It's speculated that the "Bayesian" sank in just 60 seconds. Experts are still at a loss to explain this rapid sinking. Possibilities include an open hatch during a massive wave or an incorrectly set rudder that controls the ship's draft.
The vessel was equipped with a system that could halve its draft: in normal sailing conditions, it had a draft of around ten meters when the movable rudder was fully extended, balancing the forces of the massive mast. However, the draft could be reduced to about four meters – for instance, to enter a harbor. It's speculated that this might have been the vessel's undoing.
The 56-meter-long "Bayesian," one of the largest sailing boats in the world, with a 75-meter-high aluminum mast, belonged to the Lynch family. According to the fire department, the sunken ship is resting on its side on the seabed, making the search more challenging. A remote-operated vehicle was also utilized in the search.
The "British Bill Gates" planned a celebration
Lynch is often referred to as the "British Bill Gates" in his native tabloid media. The tech tycoon sold his software company Autonomy to US conglomerate Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011 – one of the worst takeover disasters in Silicon Valley.
Lynch and former finance manager Steve Chamberlain, who was recently killed in a road accident, were accused of misrepresenting Hewlett-Packard about Autonomy's financial health. A jury in San Francisco later cleared both of them of any wrongdoing.
Despite the initial false reports, the unfortunate discovery of another body further increasing the tragedy's toll, confirmed that hope for survival in an air pocket had sadly vanished. The incident, enshrouded in mystery, has led experts to speculate various possible causes, such as an open hatch during a massive wave or an incorrectly set rudder controlling the ship's draft.
