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A Gendarmerie vehicle is parked near the port as the search continues for missing passengers after a yacht capsized on August 19, 2024 off the coast of Palermo, Italy.
Vincenzo Pepe | Getty Images
Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Plummer, British technology 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 attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Nida are missing, as the grueling search and rescue effort resumed Tuesday.
The Italian Coast Guard confirmed one death, the ship's cook. Lynch's wife, Angela Pacaris, was among the 15 people rescued.
Blumer is chairman of Morgan Stanley International, the London arm of the investment banking giant, a non-executive position he has held since 2016. He is also chairman of insurance company Hiscox.
Hiscox Group CEO Aki Hussain said Bloomer and his wife Judy were among the missing.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic incident,” Hussain said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected, especially the Blumer family, as we all wait for more news about this terrible situation,” a Morgan Stanley spokesperson said.
Morvillo, a partner at New York-based Clifford Chance, recently represented Lynch in a landmark trial over allegations against him by Hewlett-Packard. Lynch was acquitted in June.
A Clifford Chance spokesperson said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic incident… Our top priority is to provide support to the family and also to our colleague Ayla Ronald, who survived the incident with her partner. Our thoughts go out to the other passengers, crew and everyone affected.”
A violent storm hit the 56-metre sailing yacht “Baizian” around 4am local time on Monday, with 10 crew members and 12 passengers on board. The vessel capsized, anchored near the port of Porticello, and witnesses told local media that the boat went down quickly after its mast broke.
In a statement on Tuesday, Italian emergency services said divers had managed to reach the wreckage on Monday evening. They said operations were complicated by obstacles and narrow access points, adding that it was not possible to check for missing individuals through cabin hatches.
Operations are currently being planned to open access points to the cabins.
Divers work at sea to search for missing people, including British businessman Mike Lynch, after a luxury yacht sank off Sicily, Italy, on August 19, 2024.
Vigili del Foco Newsletter | via Reuters
Renato Schifani, president of the Sicily region, visited the children's hospital in Palermo, Italy, on Monday to see a one-year-old British girl and her parents, all of whom were rescued from the ship.
“My thoughts go to all the people involved and their families, but today we are also here to witness that the solidarity and commitment of health workers and civil protection volunteers constitute a precious resource for our society,” Schifani said in a statement, according to Google Translate.
Many of the people on the plane were employees and partners of Lynch, the 59-year-old founder of enterprise software company Autonomy.
Lynch was embroiled in a protracted legal battle with Hewlett-Packard after the US tech giant accused him of inflating the value of Autonomy in an $11 billion sale. He was extradited from Britain to the US last year to face trial over the Hewlett-Packard allegations.
Lynch was acquitted of fraud charges after a three-month trial. The cruise was a celebration of Lynch's acquittal, according to various media reports.
Stephen Chamberlain, former Autonomy CFO and co-defendant with Lynch in the trial who was also acquitted, He is said to have died after being hit by a car. While jogging in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.
“Steve successfully fought to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and now his good name lives on through his wonderful family,” his lawyer said in a statement to the BBC.
— CNBC's Ryan Brown contributed to this story.
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