GreaterGC – British tech mogul Mike Lynch, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, and well-known American lawyer Chris Morvillo are among six individuals still unaccounted for after a tornado struck a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily.
The yacht sank on Monday, resulting in one fatality out of the 22 people on board. So far, fifteen have been rescued. The Guardian reported.
Salvatore Cocina, head of Sicily’s Civil Protection agency, informed reporters that Bloomer and Morvillo’s wives are also missing.
Jonathan Bloomer, listed on LinkedIn as the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, also holds the position of chairman for London-listed insurer Hiscox. On Tuesday, Hiscox’s CEO, Aki Hussain, expressed the company’s deep shock and sorrow over the tragic incident.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected, especially our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, as well as their family as they await further news from this terrible situation,” Hussain said in a statement.
CNN has reached out to Morgan Stanley for comment.
The Italian fire brigade divers are set to make another attempt to enter the sunken yacht on Tuesday to search for the missing, following an unsuccessful effort on Monday, according to Italy’s Coast Guard on X.
The yacht was struck by the tornado around 5 a.m. local time on Monday, while anchored about half a mile from the port of Porticello on the Mediterranean island.
Strong storms hit Sicily late Sunday, unleashing torrential rain that dumped more than 4 inches (100mm) in under four hours in Brolo, east of Palermo. According to a report from the European Severe Weather Database, a waterspout—a type of tornado that either forms over water or moves from land to water—developed over the area where the yacht was anchored on Monday morning.
One body was recovered on the hull of the yacht. Among the rescued are Mike Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, the yacht’s captain, and a one-year-old girl. However, Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter remains missing.
Lynch, a 59-year-old tech investor and entrepreneur, was acquitted in June of charges from a fraud trial related to the multi-billion dollar sale of Autonomy, a software firm he co-founded, to Hewlett-Packard. Prosecutors had accused him of inflating Autonomy’s revenue prior to the sale.
Chris Morvillo, an American lawyer at Clifford Chance, played a key role in successfully defending Mike Lynch in his recent case. When reached for comment, Clifford Chance declined to respond, according to CNN.
A survivor, 35-year-old Charlotte, recounted her terrifying experience as she struggled to hold onto her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, while waves engulfed the yacht, as reported by Italian news agency ANSA.
“In just two seconds, I lost the baby in the sea, but I immediately grabbed her again in the midst of the raging waves. I held her tightly, close to me, as the sea roared,” Charlotte shared with ANSA. “Many people were screaming.”
The United Kingdom’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch is sending a team of four inspectors to Palermo for a preliminary assessment of the yacht, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Monday. The source, speaking anonymously, did not specify when the team is expected to arrive in Sicily.
The 56-meter (184-foot) yacht, named “Bayesian,” sailed under a British flag and carried mostly British passengers and crew. Additionally, there were two Anglo-French individuals, one Irish, and one Sri Lankan on board, according to a spokesperson for Italy’s Coast Guard.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade informed that two of the country’s citizens were involved in the incident but are not among those still missing. The nationality of the deceased person has not been disclosed.
