Billionaire businessman Mike Lynch, who has been dubbed 'the British Bill Gates' has been missing and presumed dead since a luxury yacht sank due to bad weather off the coast of Sicily over the weekend. The technology entrepreneur, who is best known as the co-founder of Autonomy Corporation, is one of seven victims of the incident, including his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.
The businessman was recently found not guilty of all charges after being accused of fraud following Autonomy's sale to Hewlett-Packard. After going on trial in March, he was cleared of any wrongdoing in June, just two months before the yacht tragedy, where it was thought that he was throwing a party the night before the freak accident occured after spending nearly a year on house arrest. The 180ft superyacht Bayesian, owned by Mike and his wife, Angela Bacares, was hit by a waterspout and sank in the early hours of 19 August.
© WPA PoolAt the time, there were 22 people in total in the boat, with 15 people being rescued including Mike's wife Angela. British visitor Charlotte Golunski, 35, saved her one-year-old baby Sophia from the yacht disaster. Speaking about the situation, she said: "For two seconds I lost my daughter in the sea then quickly hugged her amid the fury of the waves... It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."
Although specialist divers have been searching the wreck to recover bodies, they have been unable to so far due to furnishing obstructing passageways. Speaking about recovering bodies, diver Marco Tilotta said: "We will do everything we can to recover the bodies. The weather conditions are worsening but we hope to continue the operations without problems."
Angela Bacares
Mike's wife Angela made it to safety despite suffering injuries on both feet, and is recovering while awaiting news about her husband and daughter.
Speaking to the Italian publication La Repubblica, she said that she and Mike woke up after feeling a "slight tilt" before objects began falling around her, adding that she was "almost carried away" during her escape. She admitted that they weren't initially worried by the movement, and got up to see what was happening.
© Bryn ColtonThe couple share two children, but little is known about the couple's second child, who was not thought to be on the boat at the time.
Mike's daughter Hannah
While little is known about Mike's daughter Hannah, the teenager had recently completed her A-levls at Latymer Upper school, and won several awards during her time here including the William C Smith award for poetry. She had accepted a place to study English at Oxford University.
© ShutterstockHer school released a statement which read: "We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates."
Who else is missing?
The President of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy Bloomer. Lawyer Christopher J. Morvillo and his wife, Nada Morvillo, and the ship's cook Ricardo Thomas.
