Search for Sicily yacht passengers enters third day with tech tycoon Mike Lynch and 5 others missing

Specialist divers on Wednesday resumed the search for the six passengers still missing after a superyacht sank in a storm early Monday morning, killing one person.

Those reported missing are British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah; Morgan Stanley International Chair Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, charity trustee Judy Bloomer; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo.

The Italian coastguard on Tuesday confirmed to Sky News that the man who died during the incident was Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef.

According to reports from eyewitnesses and survivors, the ship was violently rocked by a storm at around 4 a.m. local time on Monday while it was anchored near the Sicilian port of Porticello. It sank rapidly after capsizing.

Lynch was acquitted less than three months ago by a U.S. court on 15 charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, relating to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard in 2011. Lynch had long denied artificially inflating the value of the company ahead of its $11.7 billion sale and was in 2023 extradited from the U.K. to stand trial in the U.S.

The trip on the U.K.-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian is thought to have marked a celebration of Lynch’s acquittal. Morvillo represented Lynch in the case, while Bloomer — who serves in a non-executive role as chair of Morgan Stanley’s European branch — testified for the defense.

Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares was on the ship and was rescued along with 14 others, including a one-year-old baby and her parents.

Rescue teams have reported difficulty accessing the wreck, which is lying at a depth of approximately 50 meters. Divers have said the ship looks to be intact, but that narrow access points, thick glass windows and a range of objects and electrical cables are obstructing access.

On Tuesday, emergency services said Fire Department divers were inspecting the wreck and had gained passage to some rooms under the control panel. However, access to cabins remains difficult, and it has not been possible to verify the presence of the missing people, the force added.

In a separate incident on Saturday, Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice president of finance at Autonomy and a co-defendant in Lynch’s trial, died after being hit by a car while on a run in Cambridgeshire, England, Chamberlain’s lawyer told the Reuters news agency.