British Tech Tycoon Missing at Sea

Tragedy struck recently when a superyacht was hit by what is being described as a “freak waterspout” off the coast of Sicily.

Among the six people still missing is Mike Lynch, a British tech tycoon.

So far, 15 people have been rescued, including Lynch’s wife.

Bad Day

The wreck was reported early Monday morning when a tornado hit the area around 5 a.m.

The luxury boat was docked off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, when a storm hit, quickly overwhelming it and sinking it.

The boat was reportedly carrying nearly two dozen people at the time, including 10 crewmembers, 11 guests, Mike Lynch, and his wife, Angela Bacares.

In addition to Lynch, six of the passengers remain unaccounted for from the wreck.

Divers have been searching the waters beneath the wreck, which reportedly occurred in waters about 160 feet deep.

Rescuers, sadly, recovered the dead body of a man they believe was working as the chef on the boat when his body floated to the surface near the remains of the wreckage.

Lynch was recently in the news for finally settling his legal battle over the sale of his former company, Autonomy, to Hewlitt-Packard in 2011.

After more than a decade of legal battles, Lynch was acquitted in the case over the $11 billion sale.

The Sir Robert BP, a Dutch sailing ship, was positioned near Lynch’s boat when the storm hit.

Karsten Borner, the captain of the boat, described a chaotic scene during the storm and his crew working frantically to reposition their boat so as not to strike Lynch’s vessel.

He stated, “We managed to keep the ship in position, and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone.”

After the storm was over, his crew saw a flare in the water, so they worked their way toward it and started to help rescue survivors.

Just hours before the storm hit, someone had posted a picture of the two boats, which was spectacular. The boat was lit up and looked majestic in that setting.

Unfortunately, that was the last time anyone saw the boat before the tragedy took place.