Two months after being acquitted in a legal battle over fraud charges, British tech mogul Mike Lynch celebrated his newfound freedom with a cruise on his luxury sailing yacht, the majestic 180-foot vessel named Bayesian. Inviting family, friends, and part of his legal team on board, they toured the Gulf of Naples and the Eolian archipelago before anchoring off the Sicilian coast in Porticello, Italy.
However, tragedy struck in the early hours of the morning when a violent storm hit the area, causing the yacht to sink within minutes. Only a few cushions and a radar floated on the surface of the sea, with 22 people on board. Six bodies were recovered, and one person was still missing.
The sinking of the yacht, described as unsinkable, left many wondering how such a sturdy vessel could have met such a fate. The incident came shortly after Lynch and a former colleague were acquitted of fraud charges in San Francisco.
The survivors, including crew members and guests, were sheltered in a resort near Porticello, declining to comment on the tragedy. The Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology suggested the yacht may have been hit by a downburst or waterspout during the storm.
Rescuers and investigators worked to recover bodies and determine the cause of the sinking, with hopes fading for finding the missing person alive. The loss of the yacht and its passengers added another tragic chapter to Lynch’s tumultuous past, marked by legal battles and personal losses.
Despite the challenges he faced, Lynch remained steadfast in his claims of innocence and looked towards the future after his acquittal.