UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch has been hailed as a "strong and determined man" and a "force of nature" by his good friend and business co-founder, as he remains missing alongside his teenage daughter.
Lynch and six others are the subject of a large-scale search after the Bayesian superyacht, owned by Lynch's wife, sank off the Italian coast on Monday morning.
The yacht's chef Ricardo Thomas was found dead in the sea by divers yesterday, with search teams scouring the wreckage for the other missing passengers on board.
Speaking to GB News, David Tabizel paid tribute to his "resilient" friend and said that he has "the strength to get through" the "awful" situation he and his daughter are facing.
Friend of Mike Lynch, David Tabizel, says he 'has the strength' to survive the sinking of the super yacht
GB News / PA
Describing Lynch to host Michelle Dewberry, Tabizel said: "Mike is a very human man. He's probably the most resilient human being I've ever met in my life.
"I've never heard him tell a lie, I think he has an incisive personality. If anyone could still exist in these terrible physical circumstances, if there is an air pocket, he'd have found it."
Remaining optimistic for Lynch and his daughter, the co-founder of their company Autonomy stressed that he "doesn't want to talk about Mike in the past tense", and urged searchers and those close to Lynch to "keep their fingers crossed".
Tabizel told GB News: "He's one of the rarest beasts you'll ever find. He is a great scientist, he's a teacher, he's a good communicator.
Italian emergency services have been searching the Sicilian coast for the missing British tycoon and others
PA
"He's also a businessman, and unlike most entrepreneurs, he can get the big idea, but also manage everything."
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When asked by host Michelle Dewberry how he believes Lynch will be handling the situation, Tabizel affirmed that if there is "any chance of him surviving this, he has the strength to do it".
He explained: "He has the strength to do this, and I hope that we aren't talking in the past tense.
"He is a remarkable man. And if you've had the blessing and the honour to have worked with him or known him, he's a force of nature and somebody who will become a business and intellectual and scientific legend in the decades to come.
"He can do everything, and it's been an honour to work with him and know him over the last 30 years."
David Tabizel told GB News that Lynch 'has the determination' to get through this tragic situation
GB News
Speaking to the Mail, Palermo Fire Brigade's inspector Marco Tilotta claimed: "We will do everything to recover the bodies. The weather conditions are worsening, but we hope to continue operations without problems.
"We plan to search centimetre by centimetre."
The British Government's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it has sent four of its inspectors to Sicily to conduct a "preliminary assessment" of the wreckage.
The Foreign Office has said it was "in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily, and stands ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected".