A rescue mission is in progress off the coast of Sicily after a British superyacht named *Bayesian* sank due to sudden bad weather early Monday morning. Tragically, the ship’s cook has died, and his body has been found, as reported by Sicily’s civil protection agency. So far, 15 people have been rescued, but six are still missing. Expert divers from the Italian fire brigade began searching again early Tuesday morning.
Who’s Still Missing?
Out of the six people missing, five have been identified. The group includes four Brits and two Americans, as reported by *La Repubblica*. According to the Italian newspaper *Il Giornale di Sicilia*, most of the passengers on the vessel were British, with others from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland, and a few with dual British-French citizenship.
Interestingly, some of the passengers worked on the recent trial of British businessman Mike Lynch, who was cleared of fraud charges in the US. There are also rumors that the yacht trip was a celebration of Mr. Lynch’s acquittal.
Mike Lynch, a leading tech entrepreneur from the UK.
Mr Lynch is a tech entrepreneur who was once regarded by some as “Britain’s Bill Gates”.
Raised in Essex, he went on to study at the University of Cambridge, before co-founding software company Autonomy in 1996.
The 59-year-old made his riches by selling the company to US tech giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011 for $11bn (£8.6bn).
Mr Lynch became embroiled in a decade-long legal battle following the acquisition. He was acquitted in the US in June on multiple fraud charges, over which he had been facing two decades in jail.
He told BBC Radio 4 in August that he believed he had only been able to prove his innocence in US court because he was rich enough to pay the enormous legal fees involved.
“You shouldn’t need to have funds to protect yourself as a British citizen,” he said.
Hannah Lynch, Student
Mr. Lynch was traveling with his daughter Hannah, who is also missing. Hannah, 18, is the younger of Mr. Lynch’s two daughters. She recently finished her A-levels and has been accepted to study English at Oxford University, according to The Times.
Chris Morvillo, a skilled lawyer.
Chris Morvillo is a lawyer who represented Mr. Lynch in his US trial. Since 2011, he has been a partner at Clifford Chance, a top law firm in New York. According to his biography on the firm’s website, Chris was an assistant attorney for the southern district of New York from 1999 to 2005. During that time, he worked on the investigation into the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Jonathan Bloomer, the Chairman of Morgan Stanley International
Jonathan Bloomer is the chairman of two important organizations: Morgan Stanley International bank and the insurance company Hiscox. He is 70 years old and from Britain. He went to school at Imperial College London and has been on the boards of many different companies in the past.
Recently, Mr. Bloomer was called to testify in a trial as a defense witness for Mr. Lynch. The Financial Times reported this, and there are rumors that Mr. Bloomer and Mr. Lynch are good friends.
Aki Hussain, who is the group chief executive of Hiscox and has worked with Mr. Bloomer since he became chairman in 2023, expressed deep sadness about a recent tragic event. Mr. Hussain said, “We are all deeply shocked and saddened by what has happened. Our thoughts are with everyone affected, especially our chairman, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among those missing.”
Judy Bloomer, charity trustee and supporter
Judy Bloomer, who is married to Jonathan Bloomer, is one of the six people who are currently missing. Judy used to be a director at Change Real Estate, the same company where her husband worked. She has been highly praised by a charity for her exceptional work in supporting women’s health.
For over 20 years, Judy has been a dedicated trustee and supporter of the Eve Appeal, a charity focused on gynaecological cancer research. Athena Lamnisos, the chief executive of the Eve Appeal, expressed her deep sadness upon learning that both Judy and Jonathan are among those missing. She shared her condolences and thoughts with Judy and Jonathan’s family, and also with everyone who is anxiously waiting for updates during this difficult time.
Who has been rescued?
Out of the 15 people who were saved, nine of them were crew members of the yacht. This means that all the crew members are accounted for, except for the chef. Local authorities have reported that the chef did not survive.
Of the 15 people who were rescued, eight have been taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
Among those who were on the yacht was a British mother named Charlotte Golunski. She was traveling with her partner and their baby girl. Thankfully, all three of them were rescued from the boat.
In an interview, Ms. Golunski described a dramatic moment when she held her baby above the water to keep her from drowning.
Ms. Golunski works as a partner at Invoke Capital, a company run by Mr. Lynch. She has been with the company since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile. The Times has also reported that she previously worked for Autonomy, a company involved in Mr. Lynch’s recent court case.
Another person who was rescued is Ayla Ronald, a lawyer from New Zealand. She works for Clifford Chance, where Mr. Morvillo is a partner, and was part of Mr. Lynch’s legal team during his trial in June. Her father told the Telegraph that she had been invited to go sailing because of the success in the recent court case in the United States. He mentioned that she had sent him a text saying she and her partner were safe, but did not give more details.
Angela Bacares, who is Mr. Lynch’s wife and Hannah Lynch’s mother, was also among those rescued. On Monday, Ms. Bacares was reported to be using a wheelchair because she had hurt her feet, according to the newspaper La Repubblica.
Published: 20th August 2024
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