UK Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch Missing In Sicily Yacht Disaster

One person has died, six have gone missing, and 15 have been rescued after the superyacht Bayesian capsized in a storm off the coast of Sicily, Euronews reported.

UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among the missing. I Photo: The Royal Society

One body has been found, six people are missing, and 15 people have been rescued, authorities said.

UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among the missing, according to reports. He was acquitted in June by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges linked to the sale of his software company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion (€10 billion) in 2011.

The ship, owned by Lynch's family, overturned around 5 a.m. on Monday off the port of Porticello, where it was apparently anchored.

It had a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers, including British, American, and Canadian nationals, the Italian coast guard said. Local media reported that a sudden fierce storm, including tornadoes over water known as waterspouts, had battered the area overnight, but skies were clear and seas calm by Monday morning.

The 56-meter British-flagged yacht was known for its unusually tall 75-meter mast, one of the world's tallest made of aluminum.

Online sites list it for charter for up to €195,000 a week. Some of the survivors have already been identified, including Angela Bacares, Lynch's wife, the Associated Press (AP) also reported.