Tributes paid to Mike Lynch and daughter Hannah after bodies found

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. Tributes have been paid to 18-year-old Hannah Lynch, after divers recovered what is believed to be her body in the wreckage of a luxury yacht which sank off Sicily, the BBC reports.

Hannah was the last person unaccounted for after the luxury yacht Bayesian foundered during a freak storm off the Italian fishing village of Porticello, east of Palermo, claiming seven lives in total.

Friends have described her as a "warm and beautiful soul", while teachers praised her "sky-high intellectual ability".

The body of her father, tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was recovered from the shipwreck earlier this week.

The family released a picture of the two on Friday.

In a statement a spokesperson said: "The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends."

"Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue."

"Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.”

Sushovan Hussain, a close friend and colleague of Mr Lynch, said he and his wife were "utterly devastated by the deaths of so many of our dear friends".

"We have known Hannah since her birth, and for her to be taken on the precipice of her life is cruel beyond belief," he added.

"Mike was the most brilliant mind and caring person I have ever known," another close friend, Andrew Kanter, said. "His passion for life, knowledge and all those around him was instantly inspiring to everyone he met, and he will be sorely missed."

A total of 15 people survived, including a one-year-old child and Hannah’s mother, Angela Bacares.

Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo and the boat's chef Recaldo Thomas all died in the disaster.

Rescuers described the operation, which has been ongoing since Monday, as "complex", with divers limited to 12-minute underwater shifts.