The UK tech entrepreneur whose wife owns the sunken superyacht Bayesian, is among those feared dead after the vessel sank off the coast of Sicily on Monday.
Mike Lynch’s body is part of the four recovered bodies out of six missing passengers from the wreckage, though the Italian Coast Guard has not yet formally identified them.
According to BBC reports, the search has focused on Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank International, his wife Judy Bloomer and others on board.
The first two bodies were brought ashore to Porticello harbour on Wednesday afternoon. Later that evening, two more bodies were recovered before the search was paused as night fell.
The Bayesian sank early Monday morning, approximately 700 meters off the coast, during freak weather conditions. The yacht is believed to have been struck by a waterspout, causing it to capsize and sink 50 meters (164 feet) to the seabed.
Throughout Wednesday, a steady stream of boats ferried divers to and from the search site, with dozens of emergency services personnel lining the small quayside as the bodies were returned by boat. One body bag was seen being placed into an ambulance, which then left the port under police escort, its sirens filling the harbour.
The Italian authorities have not yet identified the recovered bodies, despite media reports suggesting some names. This delay is likely because they are waiting to recover all six bodies before notifying the victims’ families.