Mike Lynch superyacht sinking latest: Manslaughter probe to look at crew responsibility as tributes paid to Hannah

Susannah Gurdun, a close family friend of the Lynch’s from Suffolk, shared a series of heartfelt stories about Mike Lynch and who he was beyond being one of Britain’s biggest tech moguls.

Ms Gurdun told of his “thrilling ability” to explain difficult and complicated concepts in a way people could easily understand.

His wife, Angela Bacares, and his daughters were telling Ms Gurdun of his ability to “conjure beautiful stories out of thin air”.

The following evening, Mr Lynch told a story as the dinner plates were cleared about a hero, who was the same age as Ms Gurdun’s son, embarking on adventures in search of treasure. She called it “magical”.

She added that she was not surprised to learn that Hannah had begun showing “serious literary promise”.

Friends of Recaldo “Rick” Thomas have paid tribute to their ‘brave’ and ‘selfless’ friend who was found in the water near the superyacht Bayesian.

“Rick could have jumped off and survived, I have no doubt about that. But he wouldn’t have left people on board and just swum away,” his friend Gareth Williams told The Sunday Times.

“I read that the first mate was quite young, Rick would have said to him, ‘Get off the boat, man, I am here, I got this.’ That’s just who he was.”

He added: “He had this infectious smile and a sultry, baritone voice. He was the type of person you could sit in a room with — no TV, no music playing, and just be. You didn’t have to say a word. You just enjoy his company.”

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the people initially unaccounted for after his superyacht Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday.

On Saturday morning, Italian authorities announced a manslaughter investigation had been launched into the deaths of seven people, after a five-day operation that has seen divers carefully navigating their way into the cabin bedrooms.

Mr Lynch and Hannah were among the seven people who died after the Bayesian superyacht sank near Porticello at about 5am local time on Monday.

Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo also died.

Recaldo Thomas was the superyacht’s chef and the first person whose death was confirmed.

Officials said the superyacht had been hit by a downburst and the Italian officials said they would be looking at how it could affect one vehicle and not other nearby vessels, according to the translation of the conference.

A downburst is an intense burst of wind at ground level emenating from the strong downdraft of a thunderstorm; the wind often blows radially from a point source, as opposed to the rotating winds associated with a tornado.

Downbursts usually last just a few minutes, and can be particularly dangerous for aviation.

They have been blamed for a number of air crashes over the years, although the risk tends to be well forecast by meteorologists allowing pilots to avoid them.

• The search resumes for the remaining missing person.
• The body of the fifth missing person, found but not recovered the previous day, is brought to shore.
• A fire service boat with flashing blue lights returns with a blue body bag to the port of Porticello just after 8.45am local time on Thursday.
• Tributes pour in for Mr Lynch and Mr and Mrs Bloomer after they are identified as having died.

• The search continues for the final person missing from the wreck of the Bayesian, later confirmed to be 18-year-old Hannah.
• Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, says the search for Hannah has not been “easy or quick”, comparing the sunken yacht to an “18-storey building full of water”.
• A spokesperson announces on behalf of her family that they are “devastated” and “in shock” after the bodies of Hannah and her father were recovered.
• Hannah’s sister Esme pays tribute to her “little angel”.

• A press conference is held in the court of an Italian town – Termini Imerese.
• Public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio tells reporters that his office has opened an initial investigation against unknown persons into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck, according to a translation.
• The press conference also hears from the prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, maritime director of western Sicily Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda, the fire brigade chief of Palermo, Bentivoglio Fiandra, and the brigade’s chief diver, Giuseppe Petrone.

Read the full report below: