It was meant to be a luxury escape off the Sicilian coast — but the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian ended in tragedy. An inquest has now opened into the deaths of tech billionaire Mike Lynch and three other British nationals who died when the vessel sank on 19 August last year. After a decade-long legal battle which had seen him extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mr Lynch had celebrated being cleared of charges by inviting his close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude. Yet a week of sunshine along the Italian coastline would soon turn to horror after the boat capsized shortly before dawn, only offering those onboard a few minutes to get themselves to safety. Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who died after the Bayesian superyacht sank near Porticello. Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo also died. Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas who was working as a chef on the vessel, also died. The British-flagged vessel named Bayesian had 12 guests and 10 crew on board - 15 of whom were rescued, including Mr Lynch’s wife. Here's what we know about the 22 people on board: British technology tycoon Mike Lynch had been in the headlines long before the maritime tragedy following a high-profile fraud case. The 59-year-old is known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy. His death came just weeks after he was cleared of all charges by a US jury related to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. Mr Lynch told a Sunday Times journalist following his acquittal that he was “about to go on a very long holiday.” In June, he spoke of his “indescribable relief” at being back at home in Suffolk with his wife, daughters and their six dogs. He told reporters: “I am looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field.” Wife of Mike Lynch, 57-year-old Angela Bacares managed to escape to safety and was in a wheelchair with abrasions on her feet that prevented her from walking. She told doctors that at 4am, the boat had tilted and she and her husband were woken up. Under Angela Bacares’ name, the couple’s estimated wealth was £852m, the Sunday Times Rich List reported in 2023. They had a house in Chelsea, west London, but primarily lived on their farm in Suffolk with their six dogs and rare breeds of pigs and cows. Mr Lynch was travelling with his daughter Hannah. The 18-year-old had just completed her A-levels and secured a place to read English at Oxford University. Hannah’s former English teacher Jon Mitropoulos-Monk said she was “one of the best English students in the country” having scored 100 per cent in her English Literature GCSE. Patrick Jacob, a family friend, paid tribute to her at the time, saying: “Hannah was charming and ferociously intelligent with an insatiable thirst for life and knowledge. She was also warm, loving and deeply considerate; remarkably for her age. I am 50 years older than her and in my life I have never met anybody like Hannah. We have lost one of our brightest stars whose future held so much promise. Her loss is unbearable.” Chris Morvillo was a lawyer who represented Mr Lynch in his US trial. He was a partner at the Clifford Chance law firm. In a LinkedIn post before the yacht sank, he thanked the legal team that helped win Mr Lynch’s trial. At the end of the post, he thanked his family for their support: “And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo. “None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after….” Chris Morvillo’s 57-year-old wife Neda was with him on the holiday. She owned a luxury jewellery brand, which she ran under her maiden name Neda Nassiri. Jonathan Bloomer was the chairman of the investment bank Morgan Stanley International. He was also the chairman of the insurance provider Hiscox. Its group chief executive Aki Hussain said at the time they were “deeply shocked and saddened” by his death. Mr Bloomer was a defence witness for Mr Lynch during his US criminal trial and the pair were believed to be good friends. Jonathan Bloomer’s wife Judy was also on board the yacht and died following the sinking. Mrs Bloomer was on the board of The Eve Appeal charity, which focuses on gynaecological cancers. The charity described her at the time as a “brilliant champion for women’s health and medical research... an incredible supporter, committee member, and trustee of our charity for over 20 years”. Recaldo Thomas was the superyacht’s chef and the first person whose death was confirmed. The Canadian-Antiguan national was found by the Italian coastguard near the sunken boat. A friend of Mr Thomas, who asked to remain anonymous, said the yachting community has been saddened by his death. She told The Independent at the time: “He was a one-of-a-kind special human being. Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job.” Ayla Ronald and her partner are two of the 15 who survived the yacht disaster. The 36-year-old defended Mr Lynch in court and was on the trip as part of the celebration for his acquittal. She is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but lives in London, her father Lin Ronald said at the time. Mr Ronald said that she was “invited to go sailing as a result of the success in the recent United States court case”. Ms Ronald’s partner Matthew also survived the boat disaster. There is little more known about his background. Charlotte Golunski’s testimony of the ordeal on the ship was some of the first to be published after she was rescued along with her one-year-old daughter, Sofia. She spoke to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, confirming she survived the yacht sinking and told how she kept her daughter alive after she was rescued. “I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning. It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.” The 35-year-old is a partner at Invoke Capital, one of Mr Lynch’s law firms, and has worked there since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile. Ms Golunksi’s partner James Emsley was also rescued from the yacht. There is little information on him, but the 36-year-old is the father of her one-year-old daughter. One-year-old Sofia was rescued from the water by her mother and treated in hospital. Ms Golunski told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that her family survived only because they were on deck when the yacht sank after encountering a heavy storm. Dr Domenico Cipolla told local media at the time that the family have had a “physical and psychological upheaval of their lives.” He said the hospital provided “toys for the baby, cuddles, and fed them because they were frightened and hungry”. The captain of the superyacht James Catfield survived the horror and broke his silence a day after the sinking with just five words. He said: “We didn’t see it coming” and was described as “limp” as he waited outside an emergency room in the Sicilian town of Termini Imerese, according to local media. Leo Eppel, a crew member, also survived the yacht sinking.