Search efforts continued Tuesday for six people after a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily during what reportedly was a celebratory cruise for British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch after he was acquitted of fraud and conspiracy charges in the U.S.
The U.K.-flagged Bayesian was moored off the coast of Porticello with 22 people on board when it’s believed to have been struck by a small tornado called a waterspout around 4 a.m. Monday, Italian authorities have said.
The luxury vessel quickly capsized and sank about 164 feet into the depths (roughly the equivalent of a 15-story building). Everyone missing is believed to be dead, a spokesperson for the Italian Coast Guard told Bloomberg on Tuesday.
“It would be reasonable to think that we are more likely to find the missing people inside the boat,” Vincenzo Zagarola told the outlet.
The body of the on-board chef was recovered Monday, while those missing are believed to be trapped in the ship’s below-deck cabins since the storm struck while most people were sleeping. Dive teams have so far been unable to access these rooms because of furniture that shifted during the storm, blocking access, authorities said.
Those missing include Lynch’s U.S. attorney and a banking chairman who testified in his defense during the trial, which concluded in June. Survivors have said that the cruise had been organized by Lynch for his work colleagues, according to Reuters. Reid Weingarten, who also worked on Lynch’s legal team but wasn’t on the yacht, confirmed to The Associated Press that the outing was a celebration of the acquittal.
Here’s what we know about those missing.
Mike Lynch
Lynch, 59, is the former chief executive of software company Autonomy, which was sold to Hewlett Packard in 2011 for $11 billion.
The sale led to yearslong criminal allegations that he defrauded Hewlett Packard by inflating Autonomy’s revenue before the sale, eventually resulting in 15 felony counts against him. He was extradited from the U.K. to face charges this past spring but ultimately acquitted by a jury following a three-month trial and the threat of jail time if convicted. Lynch said he looked forward to spending time with his family at the trial’s completion.
“I am looking forward to returning to the U.K. and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” he said in a June statement.
Lynch was on the vessel with his wife, Angela Bacares, and their teen daughter, Hannah. Angela Bacares, who Reuters reported owns the firm that the yacht is listed under, was among those rescued, according to local authorities.
In an unrelated twist, Lynch’s co-defendant in his trial, Stephen Chamberlain, was fatally hit by a car on Saturday in England while out running, the BBC reported.
Chamberlain was the former vice president of finance at Autonomy. The driver of the vehicle involved in his death reportedly stayed at the scene and was cooperating with the investigation.
Hannah Lynch
Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter was on the boat with her parents. She was set to study English literature at Oxford University, according to the Times of London.
Jonathan Bloomer
Bloomer is chairman at Morgan Stanley International and the former head of the Autonomy audit committee. He is also the chair of international specialist insurer Hiscox.
Bloomer testified as a character witness in Lynch’s defense during the Autonomy trial. He was on the boat with his wife, Judy, who is also missing. The couple have three adult children, according to the Times of London.
Aki Hussain, Hiscox Group’s chief executive officer, said the company is “deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event.”
“Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our Chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation,” he said in a statement shared with HuffPost.
Judy Bloomer
Bloomer is the wife of Jonathan Bloomer. She worked as a psychotherapist, specializing in anxiety and stress, for nearly 30 years, according to Reuters.
Chris Morvillo
Morvillo served as one of Lynch’s defense attorneys during his trial against Hewlett Packard. He was on the vessel with his wife, Neda Morvillo, Italian authorities have said.
In a LinkedIn post shortly after the acquittal in June, Morvillo expressed awe and gratitude to his team with the law firm Clifford Chance and appreciation to his wife and daughters.
“None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home,” he wrote, ending his post with: “And they all lived happily ever after….”
Neda Morvillo
Morvillo was on the boat with her husband, Chris Morvillo, who is also missing. She is a mother and jeweler designer who owns a New York City studio called Nada Nassiri.
