British tech tycoon Mike Lynch
UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch missing after yacht sinks
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter are among the six people missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.
The 56m (183ft) vessel was carrying 22 people including British, American and Canadian nationals. Fifteen people were rescued, including a one-year-old British girl, and authorities are continuing their search into the night.
Local media reported the yacht, named Bayesian, capsized at about 05:00 local time after encountering a heavy storm overnight that caused waterspouts, or rotating columns of air, to appear over the sea.
Mr Lynch, known by some as “the British Bill Gates”, co-founded software company Autonomy, which was later bought by tech giant Hewlett-Packard for $11bn (£8.6bn).
READ ALSO:
Witnesses told Italian news agency Ansa that the Bayesian’s anchor was down when the storm struck, causing the mast to break and the ship to lose its balance and sink off the coast of village Porticello, near Sicilian capital Palermo.
A waterspout is similar to a tornado and can form over oceans, seas or large lakes.
Divers have identified a wreckage 50m below the water’s surface and are searching for those missing.
The director general of Sicily’s civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, told the BBC Mr Lynch, his daughter Hannah Lynch and the yacht’s chef were among the missing.
He said the search, involving caving and rescue diving teams, would continue overnight.
The body of one man was found outside of the wreckage. His nationality has not been confirmed.
BBC
NADDC DG hails Kojo Motors for establishing CNG conversion centre in Owerri Kojo Motors has…
Nnamdi Kanu returns to court, apologises over attacks on judge, others The leader of the Indigenous People…
Binance delists five cryptocurrencies Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has announced the delisting of…
Akpabio told me I’d make good movements with my waist – Natasha Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents…
Supreme Court declares Wike’s ally Anyanwu as PDP National Secretary The Supreme Court on Friday…
Updated: Tinubu reacts as Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai, others form coalition Former Vice President Atiku…