The family of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah said they were "devastated" after their bodies were recovered from the wreckage of sunken yacht Bayesian.

The Suffolk businessman is survived by wife Angela Bacares - who was rescued from the disaster - and their 21-year-old daughter.

“The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends," they said in a statement.

"Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue.

"Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.”

Among those to pay tribute to them was close friend and colleague Sushovan Hussain - formerly chief financial officer of Autonomy - the company which Dr Lynch founded.

"My wife and I are utterly devastated by the deaths of so many of our dear friends. No words can express our sorrow," he said.

Hannah Lynch, who died in the Bayesian tragedyHannah Lynch, who died in the Bayesian tragedy (Image: Family Handout/PA Wire)

"I have known Mike for over 40 years, since our school days, and for most of that time our lives have been inextricably linked."

Mr Hussain was jailed for five years after a US jury found him guilty of fraud over the $11.1billion sale of the British software company to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Dr Lynch said what his defence team learned from his case helped him to successfully defend himself when he stood in the dock in San Francisco this year.

"I was thrilled when he was acquitted and now his departure leaves an unfillable hole in my life," said Mr Hussain, who also paid tribute to other victims of the disaster.

"We have known Hannah since her birth, and for her to be taken on the precipice of her life is cruel beyond belief.

"Our hearts bleed for Angela and her remaining daughter. Steve was by my side for many years, and I had the honour of calling him, Jonathan, Judy and Chris my good friends.

"It is truly impossible to fathom how they can all be gone over such a short period. It is tragic beyond words."

Miss Lynch had won a place at the University of Oxford to study poetry. Her English head at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith Jon Mitropoulos-Monk said she "combined sky-high intellectual ability with warmth and enthusiasm".

"She lit up the classroom with her energy, passion for learning and sheer intelligence, though never with a hint of arrogance," he said.

"One of the best English students in the country, she scored 100% in her English literature GCSE.

"By age 16, she’d read Joyce, Faulkner and Nabokov. Beyond that, she devoured the writings of Angela Carter, Joseph Conrad and John Donne. She loved literature, learning and life."

Hannah Lynch with Faucet the Shetland sheepdog (Image: Lynch family)