Rescue teams discovered four additional bodies on Wednesday in the wreckage of a luxury yacht that capsized earlier this week off the coast of Sicily. The boat had been carrying British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his family, and associates. The identities of the bodies have not been released, and two people remain missing, according to reports from the Associated Press.
The tragedy unfolded on Monday when severe weather struck the yacht near Palermo, causing it to capsize. Among those rescued were Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, and Charlotte Golunski, a partner at Lynch's venture capital firm, Invoke Capital. Six people were initially reported missing, including Lynch's 18-year-old daughter and Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International.
The first victim identified in the aftermath was Chef Recaldo Thomas, whose body was recovered earlier this week, as reported by The Guardian. The search continues for the remaining missing passengers.
Mike Lynch is known for founding the software company Autonomy, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11.7 billion. The deal later became controversial, with Lynch facing fraud allegations, though a San Francisco jury recently acquitted him. Lynch had previously lost a related civil case in the U.K. He also established Invoke Capital, which raised over $1 billion in its initial fund.
The cause of the yacht's sinking is suspected to be related to severe thunderstorms in the region, possibly exacerbated by a waterspout. Such tornadoes over water are rare but can occasionally cause significant damage. This incident occurred shortly after the death of Stephen Chamberlin, a former Autonomy executive and co-defendant in Lynch's U.S. trial, who was killed in a car accident while jogging.