The Italian coastguard has confirmed that the body of Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah has been recovered after an almost five-day search following the sinking of a luxury yacht in a storm off the coast of Italy.
Divers had been searching the sunken vessel for six missing people who had been onboard at the time of the incident in the early hours of Monday morning but had encountered issues due to narrow passageways and furnishings blocking their entry points.
A spokesperson for the Lynch family said: "The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends. Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue. Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief."
Hannah was the final person unaccounted for during the search, with her father, tech billionaire Mike Lynch, Morgan Stanley International bank chair Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo, and Recaldo Thomas confirmed to be among the deceased as bodies were recovered throughout the week. The body of the ship's cook was found on Monday.
The teenager, who had completed her A-levels and was set to read English at Oxford University, was one of Mike's two daughters, whom he shared with his wife, Angela Bacares. While their other daughter was not believed to have been on the yacht at the time, Angela was rescued from the vessel with injuries to her feet.
A spokesperson for the Italian coastguard spoke about the difficulties in locating the bodies following the sinking, telling PA: "From the first moment, it has not been easy or quick to inspect the boat. Think of an 18-storey building full of water."
The family of Jonathan and Judy Bloomer released a statement after the pair were confirmed to have died in the incident, which read: "We are grieving for our loved ones and all of those affected by the tragedy. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the emergency services and everyone who helped tirelessly in this rescue operation.
"Our parents were incredible people and an inspiration to many, but first and foremost, they were focused on and loved their family and spending time with their new grandchildren. Together for five decades, our only comfort is that they are still together now. This is an unimaginable grief to shoulder. Our only ask is that our family's privacy is respected at this time."
According to The Telegraph, a manslaughter investigation is now underway by Italian authorities to look into the sinking of the Bayesian, with the team investigating "shipwreck and multiple counts of culpable homicide against an unknown person." Divers reported that the hatch was open, which could have been one of the reasons why the ship went down so quickly.
Speaking about the sinking, with survivors claiming they had only minutes to save themselves when the boat got into trouble, ship captain Karsten Borner, who was the first to assist the Bayesian, told The Guardian: "I have never seen a vessel of this size go down so quickly. Within a few minutes, there was nothing left."