Luxury Boat Sinks off Sicily... British Bill Gates Missing with Daughter

Luxury Yacht Sinks off Sicily, Italy
1 Dead, 6 Missing
Among Missing Are UK Autonomy Founder and Daughter

A luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily, Italy, and among the missing is Mike Lynch (59), the former founder of Autonomy, who is known as the 'British Bill Gates.'

According to ANSA and AFP on the 19th (local time), at around 4 a.m., a 56-meter luxury yacht carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members sank in stormy weather near Porticello, Palermo, Sicily. One person died and six are missing. The deceased was confirmed to be Ricardo Tomas, the onboard chef. Fifteen people have been rescued. Foreign media reported that among the missing are former Autonomy founder Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hana.

Mike Lynch leaving a UK court in 2019.
Photo by Reuters

Lynch founded the software company Autonomy in 1996 and grew it into a large publicly traded company, earning the nickname 'British Bill Gates.' However, during the process of Autonomy's acquisition by the American company Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011 for $11 billion (approximately 14.7 trillion won), there were allegations that Autonomy's performance was inflated. He was indicted in the U.S. on charges including financial fraud and was under house arrest for about a year while on trial, but was acquitted and released only in June.

Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, who was also on the yacht, was rescued. The British daily The Telegraph reported that the yacht was owned by a company owned by Bacares. It is also known that employees of Lynch's company were on board the yacht. Survivors said Lynch planned this trip for his colleagues.

On the 19th (local time), deep-sea divers entered the water off the coast of Sicily, Italy, to search for missing persons. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

At the time of the accident, a storm hit the Porticello coast. Witnesses said that strong gusts broke the yacht's mast, causing the vessel to tilt and sink rapidly.

Experts pointed out that the temperature in the Mediterranean has risen to record levels in recent weeks, causing extreme weather phenomena. Meteorologist Luca Mercalli explained, "The sea surface temperature around Sicily was 30 degrees Celsius, nearly 3 degrees higher than usual," adding, "This created an enormous energy source and was the cause of the powerful storm."

Meanwhile, port authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident by questioning the rescued captain.