Mike Lynch and teenage daughter confirmed dead as bodies found in sunken superyacht

The bodies of two people found in the sunken wreckage of a luxury yacht have been confirmed as British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah.

The 59-year-old was travelling with his wife and 18-year-old daughter on the Bayesian superyacht when it was hit by storms off the coast of Palermo, Italy, in the early hours of Monday.

It was later confirmed that six people were missing from the boat. Among the 15 survivors from the sinking was Mr Lynch's wife Angela Baceras, who is reportedly in "a state of shock", reports the Mirror.

Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of conducting a massive fraud relating to the $11billion (£8.64billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard. The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal.

Some guests aboard included some of the people who had stood by Mr Lynch throughout the ordeal, including one of his US lawyers, Christopher Morvillo of Clifford Chance, and Mr Morvillo’s wife.

Speaking on Monday, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is deploying a team of four inspectors to Italy to conduct a preliminary assessment. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development office said it was “providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families.”

The yacht, built in 2008 by the Italian firm Perini Navi, can accommodate 12 passengers in four double cabins, a triple and the master suite, plus crew accommodations, according to Charter World and Yacht Charters.

The vessel, which previously was named Salute when it flew under a Dutch flag, featured a sleek, minimalist interior of light wood with Japanese accents designed by the French designer Remi Tessier, according to descriptions and photos on the charter sites.

The news means there are now three people confirmed dead from the horror sinking. Another body earlier recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday belonged to Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working on the Bayesian superyacht as a chef.

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