British Tech Tycoon Among Missing After £14 Million Yacht Sinks Off Sicily

British tech mogul Mike Lynch is among seven people reported missing after a £14 million yacht, the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily early this morning.

Described as Britain’s Bill Gates, Lynch was aboard the yacht when it was hit by a violent storm around 5 a.m. local time. He was not among the 15 individuals rescued from the wreckage.

A British mother who survived the tragedy recounted the harrowing experience. Charlotte, whose surname has not been disclosed, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that she held her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, above water to prevent her from drowning. “I screamed for help, but all I could hear around me was the screams of others,” she said.

The yacht sank near Porticello on the Italian island, and it is believed that four British nationals are among the seven missing. A man’s body has been recovered, but his nationality has not yet been confirmed.

Karsten Borner, captain of a rescue boat, described the chaotic scene. He reported that his crew managed to keep their vessel steady and, after the storm subsided, found some survivors on a life raft, including three who were seriously injured. They were rescued before the coast guard arrived. “A baby and the wife of the owner” were among the survivors, Borner said, while the owner of the yacht and another child remain missing.

Dr Dominico Cipolla, head of the emergency room at the Giovanni di Cristina pediatric hospital in Palermo, provided details on Charlotte’s disaster account. “She told me that while they were sleeping, the yacht overturned due to the tornado, and they found themselves in the water,” Cipolla said. “Some managed to get onto a lifeboat, and others did not. She was in the water for only a few seconds and managed to save her baby before eventually getting onto the lifeboat. The Coast Guard later rescued them.”

Dr. Cipolla confirmed that all survivors, including Charlotte and her daughter, are in good condition. Efforts to reunite family members and ongoing medical evaluations are proceeding smoothly.