This photo shows an Italian fire boat and an Italian fire brigade helicopter rescuing a sailboat that sank off the coast of Porticello in northwest Sicily on August 19, 2024. After one fatality, the search is ongoing for six missing passengers.
Alessandro Fucarini | AFP | Getty Images
Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer was among those missing after a luxury yacht sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily on Monday.
Sicily Civil Protection Agency tell reporters Bloomer and Clifford Chance attorney Chris Morvillo were one of six people still missing Monday night. Clifford Chance declined to comment when contacted by CNBC.
Bloomer is chairman of Morgan Stanley International, the investment giant’s London unit, and has held a non-executive role since 2016.
Hiscox Group Chief Executive Aki Hussain said Bloomer and his wife Judy were among the missing.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Hussein said in a statement. A Morgan Stanley spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected, especially the Bloomer family. We are all awaiting further news on this horrific situation.”
British Technology Entrepreneur Mike Lynch When search and rescue efforts resumed on Tuesday, his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was also missing.
At around 4 a.m. local time on Monday, the 56-meter-long sailing ship “Bayes” was hit by a violent storm. There were 10 crew members and 12 passengers on board. The anchored vessel capsized near the port of Porticello about an hour later, with witnesses telling local media that the vessel descended rapidly after its mask broke.
The Italian Coast Guard confirmed the death of Ricardo Thomas, the ship’s cook. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was one of 15 people rescued.
Sicily region president Renato Schifani went to Palermo Children’s Hospital on Monday to visit a British one-year-old girl rescued from a boat and her parents.
“My condolences go out to everyone involved and their families, but we are also here today to demonstrate that the solidarity and commitment of our health workers and civil defense volunteers are a valuable resource for our communities,” Shifani said in a statement.
The people on board are believed to be employees and colleagues of Lynch, the 59-year-old founder of enterprise software company Autonomy.
Lynch was involved in a Protracted legal battle and HP Previously, the US technology giant accused him of inflating the value of Autonomy in its $11 billion sale.
He was extradited from the UK to the US He went on trial last year on HP charges. June, Lynch acquitted of fraud charges After three months of trial.
—CNBC’s Ryan Browne contributed to this article.
