Tributes Flood in for Mike Lynch and Daughter Hannah Following Yacht Tragedy
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Heartfelt tributes have been paid to 18-year-old Hannah Lynch after divers recovered what is believed to be her body from the wreckage of a luxury yacht that sank off Sicily. Hannah was the final person missing after the yacht Bayesian capsized during an unexpected storm near the Italian village of Porticello, east of Palermo, killing seven people.
Friends and teachers paid tribute to Hannah, calling her a “warm and beautiful soul,” aside from being an outstanding intellect. Her father is the technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who was spotted earlier this week. The Lynch family released a photograph of the pair on Friday, speaking of their loss.
A spokesman for the Lynch family issued a statement saying: “The Lynch family is in shock and grieving and are being supported by close family and friends. Their thoughts are with all other families affected by this tragedy. They would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the Italian coastguard, the emergency services, and all those involved in the rescue efforts. They ask for privacy at this incredibly difficult time.”
Sushovan Hussain, a close friend of Mike Lynch, stated that he and his wife are “utterly devastated” at the loss of so many dear friends. “Hannah’s passing at the brink of her promising future is unbearably cruel,” he said.
Another close friend of Mike, Andrew Kanter, described him as a “brilliant mind and compassionate individual” whose love for life and learning inspired all who met him. “He will be deeply missed.”
Rescue operations by the Italian Coast Guard were called off after Hannah Lynch’s body was recovered, thus bumping up the death toll to seven. The survivors include a one-year-old child and Hannah’s mother, Angela Bacares.
Also on board and killed were Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, his wife Judy Bloomer, Chris Morvillo, the lawyer with the firm Clifford Chance, his wife Neda Morvillo, and the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas.
The tricky rescue operation, launched on Monday, was impeded by tough conditions, with divers restricted to brief 12-minute shifts underwater. As the final body was found, a coastguard vessel sailed back to port, as did a helicopter landing nearby as divers took off their gear.
Nothing has been scheduled yet to lift the sunken yacht off the seabed, although that could occur in the future. The divers said the yacht was “practically intact” on the ocean floor.
The Times reports that Hannah Lynch had just completed her A-levels and was due to read English at the University of Oxford. Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, where she had been a student, reacted with shock and sadness at the news: “The family, and all those involved, are very much in our thoughts.”
Fellow student Gracie Lea remembered her as sincere, dedicated, fiercely intelligent, genuinely kind, and said, “I’ll always remember her smiling.”
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