Friends Pay Tribute to Hannah Lynch as 6th Body Recovered from Sunken Sicily Yacht: 'Beautiful Soul'

Mar. 15, 2025

Hannah Lynch.Photo:FAMILY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

FAMILY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

As the sixth and last body, believed to be that of Hannah Lynch,was recovered on Friday, Aug. 23 after the sinking of the luxury super yachtoff the coast of Sicily earlier this week, family and friends of the 18-year-old are remembering her as a “warm and beautiful soul.”

PEOPLE previously reported that the “last person still missing in the Palermo shipwreck is identified,” according to Italian coast guard sources on Aug. 23.

Four bodieswere recoveredon Wednesday, Aug. 21, while afifth body was foundin the wreckage. Among the dead was British tech entrepreneurMike Lynch, an Italian government official confirmed on Thursday, Aug. 22.

Rescue boats of the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian Corps. of Firefighters, operate off Porticello near Palermo, on Aug. 21, 2024.ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty

Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, the head of English at London’s Latymer Upper School where Hannah previously attended, praised her. “I’ve never taught someone who combined sky-high intellectual ability with warmth and enthusiasm in the way Hannah did,” he said, viaThe Guardian. “She lit up the classroom with her energy, passion for learning and sheer intelligence (though never with a hint of arrogance).”

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Mitropoulos-Monk said that Hannah was “one of the best English students in the country,” adding that she scored 100% in her English literature GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

“The love Hannah had for everything she held dear was passionate and pure,” said Katya Lewis, a friend, perThe Independent. “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.”

In a statement shared withThe Telegraph, Su Wijeratna, the headmistress at Latymer, called Hannah a “remarkable young woman and a gifted student.”

Body of last victim Hannah Lynch recovered from the Bayesian wreck.IGOR PETYX/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

IGOR PETYX/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“She had the brightest of futures ahead of her and was so excited to be starting Oxford this year, to study her beloved English,” said Wijeratna.

PEOPLE reached out to Latymer Upper School for comment on Aug. 23.

Prior to theBayesian’s sinking on Aug. 19 near Porticello, Hannah and her father Mike, the founder of software company Autonomy,were among those aboard the yachtwith 20 other people, including Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares. They were reportedly celebratingMike’s acquittal in Juneof fraud and conspiracy charges in connection to Autonomy’s sale to Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11 billion. Had he been convicted, Mike could have served up to 25 years in prison.

In an interview withThe Sunday Timespublished last month, Mike said his acquittal in the U.S. fraud trial had given him a “second life.” However, he added: “The question is, what do you want to do with it?”

“If this [the verdict] had gone the wrong way, it would have been the end of life as I have known it in any sense,” Mike told the newspaper. He also said he had “various medical things that would have made it difficult to survive.”

Hannah Lynch.FAMILY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Journalist Danny Fortson, who spoke with Mike for theTimespiece, told PEOPLE that he appeared “incredibly grateful and happy,” but wasstill “struggling to accept” his new reality.

In addition to Mike and Hannah, the other four missing persons from the sinking at the time includedChristopher Morvillo, a New York City attorney; his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo;Jonathan Bloomer,chairman of Morgan Stanley International;and his wife, Judy. Their bodies, as well as Mike’s, were eventually recovered.

The body of another victim, identified asRecaldo Thomas, a chef, was earlier found shortly after theBayesiancapsized. Meanwhile, Bacares was one of 15 people rescued from the sinking yacht.

source: people.com