British tech tycoon Mike Lynch is among the six people missing after a luxury superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily Monday, sources said.
The 59-year-old, who was once dubbed the UK’s answer to Steve Jobs, was onboard the 160-foot Bayesian sailboat with 22 others when it was struck by a tornado off the port of Porticello at sunrise, according to a person familiar with the rescue operation.
At least one passenger was killed, while six others — including two Americans — are still missing, the Italian coast guard said.
Fifteen people, including a one-year-old child, were rescued from the wreck.
Lynch — a wealthy tech founder — was acquitted just two months ago by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges linked to the sale of his software company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011.
The sale had cemented Lynch’s reputation as Britain’s answer to the Microsoft magnate — but it quickly turned sour after HP wrote down Autonomy’s value by $8.8 billion.
In the wake of the jury’s ruling, the entrepreneur said he was “elated” to be cleared after denying any wrongdoing and blaming HP for botching the integration of the two companies.
It wasn’t immediately clear who Lynch was onboard the superyacht with.
The coast guard said divers were currently inspecting the wreck.
With Post wires
