The six people missing after Mike Lynch’s superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily include the tech tycoon, his daughter, a Morgan Stanley boss, a top New York lawyer and both of their wives.
Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday, wrecking the yacht and causing it to rapidly sink.
While one person tragically died and 15 survived the disaster, six people including British tech billionaire Lynch and his eighteen-year-old daughter Hannah remain missing.
Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy are still missing.
Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo – who represented Mr Lynch in his recent legal battle – is also yet to be found, along with his wife Neda.
Lynch had invited family and friends on the yacht to celebrate his triumph over fraud charges in the US.
The billionaire had gathered guests from legal firm Clifford Chance, as well as his own company Invoke Capital after being cleared in June.
It comes as:
Mike Lynch (pictured) invited family and friends on his superyacht to celebrate his triumph over fraud charges in the US. Lynch is missing alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah
Chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer (pictured), and his wife are also missing
Lynch’s attorney Christopher Morvillo (pictured) and his wife Neda are also missing
Neda and her husband Christopher are both missing in the wake of Monday’s superyacht sinking off the coast of Sicily
Luxury sailboat Bayesian was docked off the coast of Porticello when a waterspout struck the area just before 5am on Monday
Four of the missing passengers are British and two are American. It is feared those who have not yet been found were asleep in their cabins when the boat went underwater.
Wealthy American couple Mr and Mrs Morvillo have not been seen since the Bayesian foundered off Palermo Monday morning after being caught in bad weather.
Mr Morvillo, 59, worked as a lawyer for Mr Lynch, who had chartered the vessel to celebrate a recent legal victory.
He is a partner at the prestigious Clifford Chance law firm, which has offices around the world.
Mr Morvillo previously served as an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York between 1999 and 2005.
His wife, 57, has her own luxury jewellery line run under her maiden name, Neda Nassiri.
The couple have an apartment on New York’s Upper East side. They also own a luxurious four-bedroom, five bathroom home worth $2.3 million in South Kent, Connecticut.
They have two daughters – 27 year-old Sabrina, a voice actress, and 23 year-old Sophia, who studied the prestigious theater course at Northwestern University.
The couple’s identities were first revealed by the Daily Mail on Monday evening.
Mr Bloomer, a close friend of Lynch, was also confirmed missing by Italian Authorities.
According to his Linkedin profile, Mr Bloomer is the chairman of insurance provider Hiscox and was formerly the chief executive of Prudential before being ousted in a boardroom coup in 2005.
‘Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing,’ Aki Hussain, Group CEO of Hiscox, which Bloomer also chaired, said in a statement.
Judy Bloomer has been described as a ‘brilliant champion for women’s health’ by a charity she works with.
Mrs Bloomer is a supporter and former board member of the Eve Appeal, a charity that raises awareness and funds research into gynaecological cancer.
‘Judy is a brilliant champion for women’s health and medical research, and has been an incredible supporter, committee member and trustee of our charity for over 20 years,’ chief executive Athena Lamnisos said.
‘We are deeply shocked to hear the news that our very dear friend and her husband Jonathan are among those missing.
‘Our thoughts are with Judy and Jonathan’s family, as well as all those who are still waiting for news after this tragic event.’
Among the 15 who survived include a one-year-old British baby called Sofia, who was kept afloat by her mother, 36-year-old Charlotte Golunski.
Lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, (pictured) who was part of the successful legal team who were invited to go sailing with Lynch, is one of the survivors
Charlotte Golunski, 36, (pictured) her husband and her one-year-old baby also survived
Mrs Golunski, an Oxford graduate and senior associate at Invoke, also survived after fighting to prevent her child from drowning.
The mother told Italian newspaper Republicca: ‘I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.
‘It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.’
Mrs Golunski’s British husband James Emsilie, 36, also survived the tragedy.
Another survivor is Clifford Chance lawyer Ayla Ronald, 36, who was part of the successful legal team invited to go sailing with Lynch, according to her father Lin.
Mr Ronald told The Telegraph: ‘I have texted with my daughter and she hasn’t given me any updates about missing personnel or saved personnel. She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive.’
Lynch remains missing while his wife Angela (pictured) survived and is recovering
Luxury sailboat Bayesian rapidly sank after getting caught up in a ‘whirlwind’ in Sicily
Other survivors included Irish woman Sasha Murray, 29, Matthew Fletcher, 41, from London, James Calfield 51, from New Zealand, Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar and the French Captain Matthew Griffith.
They were rescued by crews from nearby boats including that of Karsten Borner, the captain of a sailing ship anchored near the Bayesian, who said his team struggled to keep their boat afloat when the tornado hit.
Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman in Porticello who witnessed the tragedy unfold, said he saw a waterspout – a sort of mini-tornado – that lasted about 12 minutes shortly before 4am.
At around 4.10am he said he saw a red flare go off from Bayesian but by the time he was able to reach the area about 20 minutes later the yacht had all but disappeared. ‘We found only the cushions, and a few planks floating in the water,’ he said.