Hannah Lynch's sister pays tribute to 'angel' teen who died in superyacht with father as manslaughter probe launched
23 August 2024, 18:36 | Updated: 23 August 2024, 22:42
The older sister of Hannah Lynch, the British teenager who died in the Bayesian superyacht tragedy, has paid tribute to her "little angel".
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Esme Lynch said her younger sister Hannah, 18, who died alongside their father, British tech tycoon Mike, banker Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo and ship's cook Recaldo Thomas, was "endlessly caring" and "passionately mad".
Hannah was the last person whose body was retrieved from the yacht on Friday, after it sank in the early hours of Monday morning.
Her mother - Mike Lynch's wife - Angela Bacares was among the 15 people who survived.
Amanda who had recently finished Latymer Upper School, West London and received her A-level results, was due to study at Oxford University in the autumn.
Read more: Sailing yachts like Mike Lynch’s are ‘unsinkable’, claims CEO of company that builds them
Esme said: "Hannah often burst into my bedroom and lay down with me.
"Sometimes beaming with a smile, sometimes cheeky, sometimes for advice. No matter what, she brought boundless love to me.
"She was endlessly caring, passionately mad, unintentionally hilarious and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me. "
"And on top of all this, she had even more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals.
"She is my little angel, my star."
A spokesperson for the Lynch family said earlier: "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."
Tributes poured in from those who knew Hannah after her death was confirmed.
Katya Lewis, her friend, said: “The love Hannah had for everything she held dear was passionate and pure. She had a warm and beautiful soul.
"Being with Hannah made me feel whole and happy. She is the most special friend anyone could ask for and I will always love Hannah."
Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, Head of English at Latymer Upper, praised Ms Lynch's intelligence and character.
He said: "I’ve never taught someone who combined sky-high intellectual ability with warmth and enthusiasm in the way Hannah did. She lit up the classroom with her energy, passion for learning and sheer intelligence (though never with a hint of arrogance). One of the best English students in the country, she scored 100 per cent in her English Literature GCSE.
"By age 16, she’d read Joyce, Faulkner and Nabokov. Beyond that, she devoured the writings of Angela Carter, Joseph Conrad and John Donne. She loved literature, learning and life. She was so excited to start studying English at Oxford, a goal she had worked so hard towards.
"When she got her place, she sought out every single member of the Latymer Upper English Department to thank them individually and give them a hug. She achieved everything she did with extraordinary levels of grace and fortitude that few others can say they possess. I taught Hannah for four years. I will remember her for what she taught me: kindness, compassion and commitment."
It comes as Italian authorities launched a manslaughter investigation into the sinking on Friday.
The group of survivors were picked up in a life raft by a nearby boat after firing a flare into the night sky.
Now, the Prosecutor's Office of Termini Imerese, led by Ambrogio Cartosio, said it is investigating the reasons behind the sinking.
Read More: Sailing yachts like Mike Lynch’s are ‘unsinkable’, claims CEO of company that builds them
Authorities have said they are now 'investigating shipwreck and multiple counts of culpable manslaughter' after the boat capsized off the coast near Palermo, Sicily, shortly before 5am on Monday.
The prosecutor's office has announced a press conference is set to take place on Saturday morning to provide an update.
It's been suggested the boat sank in as little as 60 seconds, based on eye-witness reports.
Italian Coastguard has said the search for Mike Lynch's missing daughter "has not been easy".
Vincenzo Zagarola likened conditions in the sunken superyacht to an "18-storey building full of water".
"From the first moment it has not been easy or quick to inspect the boat," he told the PA news agency.
"Think of an 18-storey building full of water."
The body of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the superyacht Bayesian, was recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday.
The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynch's acquittal in a fraud case in the US. The businessman, who founded the software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its 11 billion US dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.
A decision on whether to raise the sunken yacht from the seabed is "not on the agenda", but will be in the future, a spokesman from the Italian Coastguard has said.
