Italian divers have recovered the body of Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of British tech magnate Mike Lynch, who was the last missing person after their luxury yacht sank off Sicily earlier this week.
The 56-meter-long (184-foot) yacht, named Bayesian, capsized during a severe pre-dawn storm near Porticello, Palermo, on Monday. The tragedy resulted in the deaths of seven people, including Lynch himself, while fifteen survived, among them Lynch’s wife and the yacht’s captain.
The public prosecutor’s office in Termini Imerese, led by Ambrogio Cartosio, is investigating the incident for potential charges of negligent shipwreck and multiple homicide. The yacht’s captain and other survivors have been questioned, though no formal charges have been filed yet. A news conference by Cartosio is scheduled for Saturday.
Hannah Lynch’s body was located by divers on Friday after an intensive search of the wreck. The bodies of the other deceased passengers were recovered earlier this week, with the onboard chef, Recaldo Thomas, found on the day of the sinking.
A family spokesperson stated that the Lynch family is devastated and has expressed their gratitude to the Italian coastguard and emergency services.
The Bayesian, a high-end yacht built by Italian manufacturer Perini, remains submerged at a depth of 50 meters. Salvage operations are set to be complex and costly, with estimates for the operation reaching up to €15 million ($16.7 million). The yacht will be raised very slowly over the coming weeks.
Nick Sloane, who led the salvage of the Costa Concordia in 2012, noted that the operation might take six to eight weeks and must be completed by mid-October.
Mike Lynch, 59, had invited friends for a celebratory voyage following his recent acquittal in a US fraud trial.
