Search for Sicily Yacht Passengers Enters Third Day as Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch and Five Others Remain Missing

Search for Missing SicilyYacht Passengers Enters Third Day; Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch Among Six StillUnaccounted For

 

Specialist divers resumed their search on Wednesday for six passengers still missing after a superyacht sank in a storm early Monday morning, resulting in one confirmed fatality.

The missing individuals include British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah; Jonathan Bloomer, Chair of Morgan Stanley International, and his wife, charity trustee Judy Bloomer; and Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, jewelry designer Neda Morvillo.

On Tuesday, the Italian coastguard confirmed that the man who lost his life in the incident was Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan chef.

 

Eyewitnesses and survivors reported that the yacht was violently struck by a storm around 4 a.m. local time on Monday while anchored near the Sicilian port of Porticello. The vessel capsized and sank quickly.

Less than three months ago, Lynch was cleared by a U.S. court on 15 charges of collusion and wire fraud associated to the sale of his software company, Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011. Lynch had reliably denied claims of expanding the company’s value before its $11.7 billion sale and was expelled from the U.K. to stand trial in the U.S. The trip on the U.K - flagged luxury yacht Bayesian was allegedly a celebration of Lynch’s release. Morvillo, one of the missing passengers, had represented Lynch in the case, while Bloomer had appeared for the protection.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 14 people rescued, including a one-year-old baby and the child’s parents.

Rescue teams have encountered difficulties accessing the wreck, which lies at a depth of approximately 50 meters. Divers reported that while the ship appears intact, narrow entry points, thick glass windows, and obstructive objects and electrical cables have made entry challenging.

On Tuesday, emergency services announced that Fire Department divers had gained entry to some rooms near the control panel but noted that access to the cabins remains difficult. As of now, they have been unable to confirm the presence of the missing passengers.

In a related incident on Saturday, Stephen Chamberlain, former vice president of finance at Autonomy and a co-defendant in Lynch’s trial, was fatally struck by a car while jogging in Cambridgeshire, England, according to Chamberlain’s lawyer, who informed Reuters.