Mike Lynch and Jonathan Bloomer, both individuals, have gone missing following the sinking of an extravagant yacht near Sicily.
The ship went under on a Monday, leading to the demise of one out of the 22 individuals aboard. A total of 15 folks were successfully rescued.
Salvatore Cocina, holding the position of Chief at the Italian island’s Civil Protection agency, updated journalists that Bloomer and Morvillo's spouses are among the unaccounted ones.
Bloomer, who boasts a chairmanship role in Morgan Stanley International on his LinkedIn profile, is also the chairman of the London-listed insurer, Hiscox. A statement issued by Hiscox's CEO Aki Hussain on the next day showed their dismay over the "distressing" news.
“Our sympathies lie with everyone confronting this sorrowful incident, particularly our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they anticipate updates from this dire scenario,” Hussain affirmed.
CNN reached out to Morgan Stanley for comment.
Divers from the Italian fire brigade are expected to reattempt an entrance into the submerged ship on Tuesday to detect the missing, after an unsuccessful attempt the previous day, Italy’s Coast Guard relayed on Monday.
The vessel collided with a tornado around 5 a.m. local time on Monday, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson. The yacht was approximately half a mile away from Porticello's Mediterranean island harbor.
Intense storms in Sicily induced heavy rainfall early Sunday night. The precipitation amounted to more than 4 inches (100mm) in less than four hours in Brolo, east of Palermo. The European Severe Weather Database reported that a "water twister", a tornado that materializes over water, or progresses from land to water, developed in the area where the yacht was moored on Monday morning.
A body was discovered on the ship's hull. Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, and a one-year-old girl named Sofia, in addition to the ship's captain, were among the rescued survivors. The whereabouts of Lynch's 18-year-old daughter remain unknown.
Lynch, a 59-year-old tech pioneer and entrepreneur, was cleared of charges in June in a scam trial associated with the $6.2 billion deal of Autonomy, the software company he co-established, to Hewlett Packard. Prosecutors argued that Lynch orchestrated a scheme to boost Autonomy’s income prior to the sale.
Morvillo, representing an American attorney from Clifford Chance, acted in the vigorous defense of Lynch's case. Clifford Chance refrained from commenting when reached out by CNN.
One survivor, Charlotte, 35, narrated her struggle to cling to her one-year-old daughter, Sofia, as gigantic waves drowned the yacht, according to an Italian news agency ANSA report.
“Within seconds, I lost the infant in the sea, then I instantly embraced her again amidst the tempest of waves. I held her tightly, near me, while the sea raged,” she narrated to ANSA. “Many shrieked.”
The United Kingdom’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch is planning to assign a team of four inspectors to Palermo for a preliminary review of the yacht, according to a source who preferred to remain anonymous to CNN on Monday. The source did not specify the expected arrival date of the team in Sicily.
The 56-meter (184-foot) vessel christened “Bayesian,” sailing under the British flag, predominantly hosted British passengers and crew, with two Anglo-French, one Irish, and one Sri Lankan individuals also onboard, the Coast Guard spokesperson informed CNN.
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to CNN that two New Zealanders were involved in the incident but did not feature among the remaining missing individuals. The nationality of the deceased person has not been revealed.
This story is still unfolding and will be updated.
Kathleen Magramo contributed reporting.
Hiscox's CEO Aki Hussain expressed their concern over the missing chairman, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who have significant roles in the business world. Bloomer serves as the chairman of Morgan Stanley International and Hiscox, which has been impacted by this tragic incident.
