BRITISH teenager Hannah Lynch was found dead inside the wrecked Bayesian superyacht today as her family and friends paid tribute to the gifted student.
Divers recovered the body of her father, billionaire British businessman Mike Lynch (59), from the sunken ship on Thursday afternoon.
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Mike Lynch pictured with his daughter Hannah Credits: Family contribution
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Hannah was on the yacht with her dad
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Hannah’s family said they were “devastated” after the tragedyCredit: PA
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Divers head towards the wreck site after the last body was spotted todayCredit: PA
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Emergency workers at the scene in Porticello todayCredit: PA
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A £14m luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily on MondayCredit: EPA
The last missing passenger – 18-year-old Hannah – was found in the wreckage and later recovered today around 12 noon local time.
Italian coastguard official Vincenzo Zagarola said the search for Hannah was “not easy or quick”, comparing the wreckage to “an 18-storey building full of water”.
Rescuers from the fire department saw her body being lifted onto the Porticello waterfront and carried into a white tent next to an ambulance.
The discovery brings the total number of people found dead since the tragedy to seven and ends five grueling days of searching for the sunken wreckage.
READ MORE ABOUT THE YACHT TRAGEDY
Tributes have since poured in for the gifted teenager who was remembered as “terribly intelligent” after she was awarded a place to study English at Oxford University just days ago.
A spokesman for the Lynch family said they were “devastated” and “in shock” at the loss of Hannah and her father.
The statement read: “Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.
They would like to sincerely thank the Italian Coast Guard, the emergency services and everyone who helped in the rescue.
Fifteen of the 22 people on board were rescued when the £14 million yacht capsized and sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily on Monday.
Lynch’s wife and Hannah’s mum – Angela Bacares, 57 – was one of those who managed to escape in a small life raft when the ship capsized.
Dive teams recovered the four bodies of Jonathan and Judy Bloomer and Chris and Neda Morvillo, who were guests on the yacht, on Wednesday.
Recaldo Thomas – the chef on the yacht – was found dead on Monday near the ship.
A family friend of the Lynches, Patrick Jacob, remembers Hannah today as “charming and incredibly intelligent with an insatiable thirst for life and knowledge.”
He added: “She was also warm, loving and deeply considerate; amazing for her age.”
Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, head of English at her London Latymer School in Hammersmith, hailed Hannah’s intelligence, kindness and grace.
He said: “I have never taught anyone who combined heavenly intellectual ability with warmth and enthusiasm in the way that Hannah did.
Bayesian superyacht builder says its ships are ‘UNSINKABLE’ and ‘safest ever’ as mystery surrounds Mike Lynch wreck
“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 achieved 100% in GCSE English Literature.
“She was so excited to start studying English at Oxford, a goal she had worked so hard towards.
“I taught Hannah for four years. I will remember her for what she taught me: kindness, compassion and dedication.”
Hannah is thought to be the youngest of Mike Lynch’s two daughters, with the couple’s eldest daughter now in Porticello supporting her mother.
Her family posted a photo of Hannah and her father hugging and laughing after her body was found this morning.
A friend, Katya Lewis, said: “Hannah’s love 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.”
Italian officials have yet to publicly comment on the latest development, which ended a five-day search for the underwater wreckage.
Officials are looking for the Automatic Ship Identification System (AIS), essentially a black box that contains data transmitted from ships in distress to land.
It revealed exactly what happened in the last 16 minutes before the Bayesian sank and plunged about 160 feet to the ocean floor.
It comes as…
Pictures show rescue teams bringing a body believed to be that of Mike Lynch to shore at around 8.45am local time on Thursday.
An official working at the scene told AFP on Thursday that all the missing men had been found and that only the woman, who could only be Hannah, was still being sought.
Rescue divers recovered the first two missing passengers on Wednesday afternoon, with Sicily’s civil protection chief Salvo Cocina initially telling the Telegraph that the bodies belonged to Mike and Hannah.
But Italian newspaper Giornale Di Sicilia later reported that the four bodies found were Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy and Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda.
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Mike Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares, 57, were rescued as the boat sank
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Hannah went missing when the yacht sank on Monday
The 184ft Bayesian plunged beneath the waves after being hit by a rare “Black Swan” waterspout around 5am on Monday.
According to witnesses from a small boat nearby, the 246-foot-tall mast was struck by the tornado, overturning the ship and causing it to capsize.
The captain of the wrecked yacht, James Cutfield, 51, was grilled by police for more than two hours after divers discovered the ship’s keel had been lifted – the ship’s structural backbone which could have affected its stability during the storm.
And the CEO of the company that built the ship has spoken out – claiming the yachts are “unsinkable” and blaming human error.
Police have launched an investigation as they work to discover why the luxury vessel sank.
Prosecutors in nearby Termini Imerese are investigating crimes of shipwreck and multiple culpable homicide – similar to manslaughter in the UK – against unknown persons, according to Italian media.
Officers were searching videos and photos taken by locals on the night of the storm, as well as CCTV footage of the port, according to local reports.
Divers said Thursday that they may be able to raise the sunken yacht, which could help them complete the investigation.
Although the ship is “virtually intact” at the bottom of the sea, rescuers have struggled to get inside due to narrow entrances, floating debris and a 10-minute time limit per dive.
They sent an underwater drone to the sea floor to search the wreckage and send back helpful videos and pictures.
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The rescue boat started searching for Hannah this morning
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A helicopter leaves to help search for the missing on WednesdayCredit: Reuters
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Captain Bayesian James Cutfield, 51
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CCTV showed the moments before it sank on Monday
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