British businessman Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch died when their luxury yacht Bayesian sank during a storm off the coast of Sicily on Monday. Search divers on Friday recovered the seventh and final body from the sunken superyacht, The Washington Post reports.
Italian coast guard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro identified the victim as Hannah. “I can confirm this to you, the last victim has been found inside the hull,” he said. Mike’s trial lawyer Christopher Morvillo, his trial witness Jonathan Bloomer and three others also died in the tragedy.
Hannah Lynch’s sister Esme said Hannah would often sneak into my bedroom and lay with me, adding that no matter what, she always brought boundless love. “She was extremely caring, obsessively crazy, unintentionally funny and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me,” she said.
Esme told The Guardian that she had even more love to give to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals. “She’s my little angel, my star.”
A spokesperson on behalf of the Lynch family said they were stunned, shocked, and were receiving condolences and support from family and friends. “Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and everyone who helped with the rescue. Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of indescribable grief,” the statement said.
Hannah Lynch’s English professor at Latymer Upper School in west London, John Mitropoulos-Monk, praised his student highly. He said he had taught Hannah for four years and would remember her for teaching “kindness, compassion and commitment”.
She said she had never taught someone who “combined warmth and enthusiasm with tremendous intellectual ability” like Hannah. The teacher said of Hannah, 18, that she lit up the classroom with her energy and passion for learning.
Describing the 18-year-old as “one of the best English students in the country”, he told the English daily, “By the age of 16, she had read Joyce, Faulkner and Nabokov… She loved literature, education and life. She was very excited to start studying English at Oxford, a goal she had worked very hard towards.”
The teacher said that when she got to her seat, she called each member of the Latimer High English department to personally thank them and give them a hug.
Hannah Lynch’s friends had only loving words for their friend. Katya Lewis said Hannah had a passionate and pure heart for everything she held dear, adding that her friend had a warm and beautiful soul.
“When I think of Hannah, I think of poetry, sunshine and her beautiful eyes,” said Hannah’s classmate Gracie Lee. “She was easy to love: honest, devoted, extremely intelligent and genuinely kind. I will always remember her smiling.”
Fifteen people were rescued shortly after the Bayesian sank, including Angela Bacares, Hannah Lynch’s mother. During the initial search, the ferry pilot Rekaldo Thomas was found dead.
