The chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer, British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and four others are missing after a luxury yacht sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily.
Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Bloomer’s wife Judy, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda were missing as difficult search and rescue efforts resumed on Tuesday.
One person, the ship’s cook, was confirmed by the Italian coastguard to have died. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 people who were rescued.
Bloomer is chair of Morgan Stanley International, the London-based branch of the investment banking giant, a non-executive role he has held since 2016. He is also the chair of insurance firm Hiscox.
Aki Hussain, group chief executive officer of Hiscox, said Bloomer and his wife Judy were both among those missing.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Hussain said in a statement. A Morgan Stanley spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation.”
Morvillo is a partner at Clifford Chance based in New York, and recently represented Lynch in a landmark trial over allegations made against him by Hewlett Packard. Lynch was acquitted in June.
A Clifford Chance spokesperson said: “We are in shock and deeply saddened by this tragic incident ... Our utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident. Our thoughts extend to the other passengers and crew and all those affected.”
The 56-meter sailing yacht “Bayesian” was hit by a violent storm around 4 a.m. local time on Monday, as it carried 10 crew members and 12 passengers on board. The anchored vessel capsized near the port of Porticello, with witnesses telling local media that the boat descended rapidly after its mast broke.
In a statement Tuesday, Italian emergency services said divers had accessed the inside of the wreck of the ship on Monday evening. Operations were complicated because of obstacles and narrow access points, they said, adding it was not possible to verify the presence of the missing individuals through cabin portholes.
Operations are now being planned to open access points to the cabins.