Tributes for Mike and Hannah Lynch after Bayesian superyacht tragedy

Horrific details have emerged about the final moments of those onboard a sinking superyacht in Italy.

Friends and family have paid tribute UK tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah as officials reveal how doomed passengers scrambled for air in their final moments on board the Bayesian superyacht.

Investigations continue into the sinking tragedy off the coast of Sicily, with a local fire service chief saying people trapped on the vessel “took refuge to seek safety in the cabins … where somehow the last air bubbles formed”.

Mr Lynch, once dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates”, had invited friends and family onto the boat in Italy to celebrate his recent acquittal in a massive US fraud case.

But the 56m yacht was struck by something akin to a mini-tornado before dawn on Monday as it was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo.

Tech tycoon Mike Lynch, with his daughter Hannah. Picture: Supplied

Sicilian prosecutors revealed on Saturday, local time, they were investigating possible “crimes of negligent shipwreck and multiple negligent manslaughter”.

State prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Termini Imerese had “registered a file with the state against unknown persons”.

“At this stage, precisely because the investigation could develop in any way, we are absolutely not ruling anything out.”

How the ship went under is being pieced together by investigators, with Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra of the fire service telling reporters it sank by its stern and came to rest on its right side on the sea bed, some 50m.

He said the passengers trapped inside “took refuge to seek safety in the cabins on the left side where somehow the last air bubbles formed”.

“We found the first five bodies in the first cabin on the left side, and the last body in the third cabin on the left side.”

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano (left) and the chief of the public prosecutor's office of Termini Imerese Ambrogio Cartosio (right). Picture: Alessandro Fucarini/AFP

In a statement, Hannah’s sister Esme remembered how her 18-year-old sibling “often burst into my bedroom and lay down with me”.

“Sometimes beaming with a smile, sometimes cheeky, sometimes for advice,” she said.

“No matter what, she brought boundless love to me. She was endlessly caring, passionately mad, unintentionally hilarious and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me.

“And on top of all this, she had even more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals. She is my little angel, my star.”

A spokesperson for the family said in a statement on Friday, UK time: “The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends.

“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.

“Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.”

The bodies of Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah Lynch were found last week. Picture: Supplied/AFP

Fifteen people were rescued and the body of the yacht’s chef was found shortly afterwards. Six passengers were reported missing.

A major search operation including specialist divers subsequently identified the bodies of four of Mr Lynch’s friends on Wednesday.

The body of Mr Lynch, 59, was found on Thursday and that of his daughter, Hannah, on Friday.

Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, Hannah’s mother, survived the disaster.

Italian authorities say black box data shows the yacht’s anchor gave way just before 4am on Monday after the vessel shook “dangerously” during a fierce storm.

It began taking on water, lost power and sank five minutes later.

Hannah Lynch, 18, had been accepted to study at Oxford.

Contrary to previous reports, Raffaele Macauda, from the Sicilian coastguard, said there had been no storm warning that night.

“It was a sudden and unexpected event,” added Raffaele Cammarano, another state prosecutor.

The officials said the crew were free to leave Sicily during the investigation.

Mr Lynch founded software firm Autonomy in the 1990s. Its $11 billion sale to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 saw him face fraud charges in the US.

A jury in San Francisco acquitted him and a co-defendant of all charges in June.

Gracie Lea, a classmate of Hannah, recalled her as “easy to love: sincere, dedicated, fiercely intelligent and genuinely kind. I’ll always remember her smiling”.

She had recently finished school at Latymer Upper in west London and had been offered a place to study English at Oxford, according to The Times.

“We are all incredibly shocked by the news,” a spokesperson for her school said.

“Our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved.”

Friends also paid tribute to Mr Lynch, who helped pioneer a form of artificial intelligence, describing him as a pioneer of the British tech scene.

“Mike was the most brilliant mind and caring person I have ever known,” friend Andrew Kanter said.

Divers carry the body of the last missing person at Porticello harbour. Picture: Alessandro Fucarini/AFP

“There is simply no other UK technology entrepreneur of our generation who has had such an impact on so many people.

“His passion for life, knowledge and all those around him was instantly inspiring to everyone he met, and he will be sorely missed.”

David Tabizel, who co-founded Autonomy with Mr Lynch, described him as a “remarkable individual” and the “brightest man I’ve met in my life”.

“Before him there was no British tech scene. He showed us we can be world-class.”

Mr Tabizel also commented on Mr Lynch’s legal issues saying he “never heard him lie or exaggerate” and he was “interested in the truth … in cutting through the noise”.

“For him to be accused of manipulating his profits. It was an extraordinary thing. It just wasn’t Mike,” he said.

“I loved that man and he should be celebrated as a hero.”

– with AFP.