Divers find 5 bodies in Mike Lynch’s sunken superyacht

The search and rescue operation for the six people missing has been ongoing for three days since the 183-foot superyacht capsized.

A spokesperson for the local fire department told The Independent that the search is “complex,” adding that divers operate in 12-minute underwater shifts.

“We are trying to advance in tight spaces, but any single thing slows us down,” Luca Cari, a spokesman for the fire rescue service, told the AP. “An electric panel could set us back for five hours. These aren’t normal conditions. We’re at the limit of possibility.”

“It’s not a question of entering the cabin to inspect it,” Cari told the AP. “They’ve arrived at the level of the cabins, but it’s not like you can open the door.”

Italian news agency Ansa reported that the vessel capsized when a sea tornado, or water spout, hit the area during sudden storms.

It cited witnesses saying that the boat’s mast broke while it was anchored in the storm, causing it to lose balance and capsize.

Lynch is one of the UK’s leading tech entrepreneurs, having founded the software company Autonomy, which was sold to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion.

The sale resulted in a legal battle, with Lynch acquitted on fraud charges in the US in June.

According to reports, Lynch was celebrating the acquittal on the yacht trip before it capsized.

Parlemo’s municipal authorities and Italy’s Coast Guard didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comments.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.