Everything we know so far about the search for Mike Lynch and the Bayesian superyacht sinking in Sicily

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The search for British billionaire Mike Lynch and his daughter continues a day after his luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of the Sicilian capital Palermo.

The 50-metre boat, named Bayesian, had 22 people on board when it sank in the early hours of Monday, with four Britons among the seven missing, according to local media.

The yacht sank as a fierce storm battered the area overnight, and was flying a British flag, according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic.

Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency said: “They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

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British technology tycoon Mike Lynch is among six tourists missing, The Independent understands. Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was made an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006. In June, he was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to a $11 billion (£8.64bn) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

One man has been confirmed dead with photos on Monday showing a body bag being lifted to shore where ambulances were waiting. Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American, according to Italian newspaper la Repubblica.

The director general of Sicily’s civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, confirmed to the BBC that Mr Lynch’s daughter Hannah and the Bayesian’s chef Ricardo Thomas, are among those missing in the shipwreck. Hannah is believed to be 18 years old.

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It has been reported by numerous outlets that Mr Lynch had planned the superyacht cruise as a celebration with family, employees and lawyers who supported him during the decade-long trial. The BBC said Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo were among those missing.

Johnathan Bloomer appeared at trial as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, while media reports suggest the pair are close friends. The Daily Mail reports his wife is also unaccounted for.

Among the 15 survivors rescued from a lifeboat was Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares. Another survivor, Charlotte Golunski, 35, told Italian journalists how she saved her one-year-old daughter Sofia from drowning.

She told la Repubblica she lost Sofia for “two seconds”, adding: “I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning. It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.”

According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Golunski is a partner at Mr Lynch’s firm, called Invoke Capital.

Charlotte and Sofia are being treated in hospital, as is Charlotte’s husband, James.

Ayla Reynold, a Kiwi working at Clifford Chance, also survived the horror. Her father Lin Ronald confirmed to The Telegraph she had been invited aboard as thanks for assistance in Mr Lynch’s recent court case. He said that his daughter had not given many details about what happened, but said “there are deaths and she and her partner are alive.”

The luxury yacht sunk off the coast of Palermo, Sicily.

The 56-metre-long sailboat sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, the Italian coast guard said in a statement.

“The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not of this magnitude,” a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters.

Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days - with floods and landslides causing major damage in the north of the country - after weeks of scorching heat.

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on 14 August and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of "at anchor", according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.

The Bayesian superyacht is 56 metres long, according to VesselFinder.

The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and is listed for rent for up to 195,000 euros (£166,000) a week. Her registered owner is listed as Revtom Ltd, which is based on the Isle of Man.

Bayesian completed several sailings in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily.

Formerly known as Salute, or health in Italian, its 75-metre mast is the tallest aluminium mast in the world, Italian shipbuilder Perini said on its website.

Perini constructed the boat in 2008 and it was last refitted in 2020 and was managed by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons.

Camper and Nicholsons International, confirmed to The Independent that the Bayesian sailing yacht “encountered severe weather and subsequently sank.”

A statement continued: “There were a total of 12 guests and 10 crew onboard. The Italian Coast Guard is leading search and rescue operations, and has safely recovered 15 individuals. Efforts to locate the seven missing persons continue. Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”