Six people are missing as a luxury yacht sinks near Sicily, including the chair of Morgan Stanley Worldwide.
A luxurious yacht that sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily is said to have trapped British software entrepreneur Mike Lynch, Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and four other people.
Hannah, Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Bloomer's wife Judy, Clifford Chance attorney Chris Morvillo, and his wife Neda were among those still missing on Tuesday despite the challenging search and rescue operations.
The Italian coastguard verified that one person had perished—the ship's cook. Angela Bacares, the wife of Lynch, was one of the fifteen individuals that were saved. Since 2016, Bloomer has served as chair of Morgan Stanley International, investing banking behemoth's London unit. In addition, he chairs the insurance company Hiscox.
Hiscox's group president officer, Aki Hussain, stated that Bloomer and his spouse Judy were among those who went disappeared. Hussain released a statement saying, "We are extremely shocked and moved by this awful incident." "Our ideas are with those who have been impacted, especially the Bloomer family, as we all anxiously to hear more news from this awful circumstance," a Morgan Stanley representative stated.
Morvillo, a partner at the New York-based Clifford Chance, recently defended Lynch in a historic trial on accusations leveled against him by Hewlett Packard. In June, Lynch was found not guilty.
"We are in stunned and extremely heartbroken by the recent tragic occurrence," a Clifford Chance spokeswoman stated. Supporting the family and our coworker Ayla Ronald, who fortunately survived the catastrophe with her spouse, is our first concern. We are thinking of the other passengers, the crew, and everyone who is impacted.
Around four in the morning local time on Monday, the 56-meter sailing yacht "Bayesian," which was carrying twelve guests and ten employees, was struck by a strong storm. Witnesses told local media that the yacht rapidly dropped after its mast snapped, causing it to capsize close to the port of Porticello. Italian rescue services stated in a statement on Tuesday that on Monday night, divers had gained entry to the shipwreck's interior. They claimed that hurdles and limited access points made activities difficult and that it was impossible to confirm the absent people's presence via cabin portholes. Now, plans are being made for operations to provide cabin points of access.
The president of Sicily, Renato Schifani, saw a British one-year-old girl and both of her parents, who were all saved from the ship, on Monday during an excursion to the children's facility in Palermo, Italy. Schifani stated in an announcement, via Google translation, "My thoughts go to all those affected and their loved ones, but now we are also here to provide evidence that the unity and dedication of our medical professionals and civil defense volunteers are an invaluable asset for our society." Lynch, the 59-year-old founder of the corporate software company Autonomy, had a large number of staff members and associates on board.
Lynch and Hewlett Packard engaged in a drawn-out legal dispute after the American tech giant charged Lynch with exaggerating Autonomy's worth in a $11 billion transaction. In order to face prosecution for the HP accusations, he was extradited from Britain to the United States last year.
Lynch had a three-month trial and was found not guilty of any charges related to fraud. Several media stories claim that Lynch's acquittal was celebrated with the ship ride.
According to reports, Stephen Chamberlain, a previous vice president of financial for Autonomy and a co-defendant of Lynch in the case who was also found not guilty, passed away on Saturday after getting hit by a car while jogging in Cambridgeshire. "Earlier this year, Steve battled to clear his good name at trial, and his lovely family currently upholds his good name."
