British tech tycoon Mike Lynch missing after superyacht sinks in Sicily

Six people – including four British citizens and two Americans – are missing after a sailboat capsized and sank off Sicily

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is missing after a luxury yacht sank in bad weather off the coast of Sicily, ITV News understands.

A body, believed to be that of the vessel’s chef, has been found near the wreck, local media reported.

Six people are missing – including four British citizens and two Americans.

The 56-metre (184ft) superyacht, named Bayesian, capsized at about 5am off Palermo and was flying a British flag.

One of the survivors, a British tourist named Charlotte, told la Reppublica she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, to stop her from drowning.

She said: “I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

“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.”

Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares is among those who have been rescued.

The businessman has recently been cleared of fraud charges by a US jury for the sale of his company Autonomy to HP in 2011.

News agency ANSA said the yacht had been moored in the port at Porticello and had set sail on Sunday evening.

Fisherman Francesco Cefalu said he had seen a flare from shore at around 4.30am and immediately set out to the site but by the time he got there, the Bayesian had already sunk, with only cushions, wood and other items from the superyacht floating in the water.

He said he had been up so early to check the weather to see if he could go fishing, he surmised that the storm could have damaged the ship.

“It could be that the mast broke, or the anchor at the prow pulled it, I don’t know,” he said.

Speaking earlier, Filippo Tripoli, the mayor of Bagheria in Sicily, said: “This morning, off the coast of Santa Flavia, a foreign boat sank due to bad weather, 15 people recovered and seven missing.

“Already all the police forces and emergency services are operational and our Red Cross volunteers are present.”

A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.”

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