PORTICELLO: Italian divers have retrieved the body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, who was the last person still unaccounted for after the family's luxury yacht sank this week off Sicily. Seven people, including Lynch himself, died when the 56-metre-long sail boat, the Bayesian, capsized during a fierce, pre-dawn storm on Monday off Porticello, near Palermo. Fifteen people survived, including Lynch's wife and the yacht's captain.
Lynch's family is devastated and in shock, a spokesperson for the family said on Friday, in their first public comments since the yacht sank. "Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue," the statement said. "Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief."
Prosecutors in the nearby town of Termini Imerese are looking into possible human error that might have led to the disaster. Hannah Lynch's body was discovered on Friday by specialist divers who have been scouring the submerged vessel for the past five days, a senior official with knowledge of the rescue operation said, declining to be named.
The sinking has puzzled naval marine experts who say a boat like the Bayesian should have withstood the storm and should not, in any case, have sunk as quickly as it did. The yacht's captain James Cutfield, his eight surviving crew members and passengers have been questioned by the coast guard on behalf of prosecutors. Investigators are due to hold a news conference on Saturday.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, said that the shipwreck was the result of a string of "indescribable, unreasonable errors" made by the crew, and ruled out any design or construction failings. The Bayesian is lying on its side, apparently intact at a depth of 50 metres. Pulling it out of the sea may help investigators determine what happened, but the operation is likely to be complex and costly.
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