Italian rescue divers have recovered the body of the last person missing after British technology tycoon Mike Lynch’s family yacht sank off the coast of Sicily and is believed to be his daughter Hannah, a source close to the case told Reuters on Friday.
The British-flagged Bayesian yacht, a 56-metre luxury sailing vessel with 22 passengers and crew, was anchored off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, when it capsized and sank quickly after a pre-dawn storm on Monday.
The source did not say the body belonged to 18-year-old Hannah Lynch, but she was the only person missing. Italian news agency Adnkronos reported that she was found inside the yacht.
The wreck lies at a depth of 50 metres and the passages inside are narrow. On Friday, the fire brigade described the rescue operations as “long and delicate” and said more than 400 people, including 28 specialist divers, were involved.
The bodies of the other five dead passengers, including Lynch, were recovered from inside the yacht on Wednesday and Thursday. The body of the only deceased crew member, chef Recaldo Thomas, was found near the sunken yacht on Monday.
Official identification of the bodies and autopsies are expected to begin after the last body found is taken to a hospital morgue in Palermo.
A judicial enquiry has been launched into the sinking, which has perplexed maritime experts who say the Bayesian, built by Italian luxury yacht builder Perini, should have been able to withstand the storm.
The yacht’s captain, James Cutfield, eight surviving crew members and passengers have been questioned by police but have not commented publicly. Prosecutors leading the investigation are due to hold a press conference on Saturday.
