A luxury boat sank in a severe storm off the coast of Sicily, Italy late Monday night. One person on board died, while 6 people are missing. British technology giant Mike Lynch and his daughter are also included in these missing people. According to reports, a total of 15 people on board the ship, including Lynch’s wife, were rescued, eight of whom have been admitted to the hospital.
The Italian coast guard said in a statement that the British-flagged “Bayesian” was a 56-metre-long (184 ft) sailboat carrying 22 people. During this time the boat was standing on the shore near Porticello port. Meanwhile, there was a fierce storm in the sea and the boat sank. Eyewitnesses said that the boat disappeared under the waves. Fifteen people survived the sinking, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who owned the boat, and a one-year-old girl.
The names of the dead and missing were not immediately released, but a person familiar with the rescue operation confirmed that Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah have not been found. According to Italian media, the deceased person was a cook on board the boat. The missing include British, American and Canadian citizens. A rescue operation has been launched to search for him. Survivors said Lynch had organized the trip for his co-workers. The missing Lynch was acquitted in a major US fraud trial in June.
Let us tell you that 59-year-old Lynch is one of Britain’s most famous technology entrepreneurs. He started the country’s largest software firm Autonomy with his groundbreaking research at Cambridge University. He is known as Bill Gates of Britain. He sold the firm to HP for $11 billion in 2011. However, during this time, the American tech giant accused him of fraud. He was extradited from Britain to the United States to stand trial on criminal charges. A jury in San Francisco acquitted him in June, after which he spent more than a year under effective house arrest.