British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch found in Sicily yacht wreckage

LONDON — The body of British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59, has been retrieved from the wreckage of a yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC Thursday, confirming earlier reporting by Sky News.

The source asked not to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the situation. Sky News earlier reported that five bodies pulled from the wreck had been identified by the Italian coastguard, and that Lynch was among the dead.

Lynch, who was reported missing Monday, was one of 22 passengers aboard the Bayesian superyacht, which capsized while anchored in the small fishing village of Porticello, in the province of Palermo in Italy.

On Wednesday, Salvatore Cocina, the head of the civil protection agency in Sicily confirmed to NBC News that five bodies had been recovered from the wreckage of the yacht. It comes after one person — Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef — was confirmed dead earlier this week.

Lynch was the founder of enterprise software firm Autonomy. He became the target of a protracted legal battle with Hewlett Packard after the firm accused Lynch of inflating Autonomy’s value in an $11.7 billion sale. HP took an $8.8 billion write-down on the value of the company within a year of buying it.

Lynch was acquitted in June of fraud charges in a surprise victory in U.S. court following a trial that lasted for three months. He had faced charges of wire fraud and conspiracy for allegedly scheming to inflate Autonomy’s revenue. Lynch denied wrongdoing and told jurors HP botched Autonomy’s integration.

Lynch was also the founder of Invoke Capital, a venture capital firm endorsing European tech startups. He became a key voice supporting the U.K. technology industry, backing key names like cybersecurity firm Darktrace and legal tech firm Luminance.

CNBC has contacted the Italian coastguard and is awaiting a response.

This is a breaking news story, please check back later for more.