by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the first unaccounted for after their Bayesian superyacht sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily early Monday.
On Thursday morning, Italian authorities confirmed the identity of the five bodies found inside the luxury vessel, after a three-day operation that saw divers carefully navigate their way into the cabin’s bedrooms.
After a decade-long legal battle in which he was extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, Mr Lynch celebrated by inviting close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on board his legal team his boats as a sign of it. thanks.
But a week of sunshine along the Italian coast was soon to turn into horror after the boat capsized shortly before dawn, offering those on board only a few minutes to save themselves.
Mr Lynch has now been confirmed dead, along with Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.
Search efforts are now focused on finding the entrepreneur’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, who is unaccounted for after the boat capsized in a freak storm, known as a waterspout.
The British-flagged vessel Bayesian was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew when it sank at around 5am local time near the Sicilian capital of Palermo.
It is already confirmed that the cook of the yacht, Recaldo Thomas, died after his body was recovered from the wreck on Monday, and 15 survivors were rescued.
Here’s what we know about the 22 people on board.
Mike Lynch
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was in the headlines long before the boat incident after being at the center of a high-profile fraud case.
The 59-year-old, known for founding Invoke Capital and Autonomy, goes missing just weeks after a US jury cleared him of all charges related to the sale of his software company Autonomy by Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. .
HP claimed, just a year after the sale, that Mr Lynch had used accounting tricks to artificially inflate its value before the sale. He spent 13 months under house arrest before being extradited to the US last May for a trial in which he was acquitted in June of this year on all 15 counts.
Mr. Lynch said that Sunday Times journalist last month that he was “about to go on a very long holiday”.
In June, he spoke of his “indescribable relief” when he was back home in Suffolk with his wife, daughters and six dogs. He told reporters: “I’m looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love: my family and innovation in my field.”
Angela Bacares
Mike Lynch’s wife, 57-year-old Angela Bacares, managed to escape to safety and is in a wheelchair with scratches on her legs that prevent her from walking, according to la Repubblica.
The newspaper said she told doctors the boat had tilted at 4am and she and her husband had woken up.
Under the name Angela Bacares, the couple’s estimated wealth is £852m, revealed by the Sunday Times Rich List in 2023. They have a house in Chelsea, west London, but live mainly on their farm in Suffolk with their six dogs and rare breeds pig. and cows.
Hannah Lynch
Mr Lynch was traveling with his daughter Hannah, who is still missing.
The 18-year-old is reported to be the younger of Mr Lynch’s two daughters, with the elder reportedly studying at Imperial College London.
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Hannah had just finished her A-levels and secured a place to read English at Oxford University, it seems The Rising. Her friends told the newspaper that she is a “supernova” and a “staunch feminist” as well as “sweet and kind, but also fun and fierce. A voracious reader and a natural intellectual”.
Chris Morvillo
Chris Morvillo is a lawyer who represented Mr. Lynch at his trial in the United States. He is a partner at law firm Clifford Chance which confirmed on Tuesday that he was among the six missing.
In his latest LinkedIn post, he thanked the legal team that helped win Mr. Lynch’s trial. At the end of the post, he thanked his family for their support: “And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, wonderful and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo .
“None of this would be possible without your love and support. I’m glad to be at home. And they all lived happily ever after…”
Neda Morvillo
Chris Morvillo’s wife Neda, 57, was with him on the holiday. She owns a luxury jewelery brand, which she runs under her maiden name Neda Nassiri.
Her husband’s firm Clifford Chance said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with our partner, Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda who are among those missing.”
Jonathan Bloomer
Another person who has been confirmed dead is the lawyer Jonathan Bloomer who is the chairman of the investment bank Morgan Stanley International.
He is also chairman of insurance provider Hiscox, which has confirmed he is missing. The group’s chief executive, Aki Hussain, said they were “deeply concerned and saddened” by the news.
Mr Bloomer was a defense witness for Mr Lynch during his US criminal trial and the pair are believed to be good friends, according to the Financial Times.
Judy Bloomer
Jonathan Bloomer’s wife Judy was also on board the yacht and has been confirmed dead.
Mr Hussain said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with all those affected, especially our chairman, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among those missing.”
Mrs Bloomer is on the board of The Eve Appeal charity, which focuses on gynecological cancers. The charity described her as a “fantastic champion of women’s health and medical research… an incredible supporter, committee member and trustee of our charity for over 20 years”.
Recaldo Thomas
Recaldo Thomas is understood to be the super chef and the first person whose death was confirmed.
The Palermo Port Authority told Canadian broadcaster CBC News that the body of Mr. Thomas, a Canadian-born man who lived in Antigua, had been recovered from the wreckage.
The BBC and several Italian newspapers first reported his name as Ricardo Thomas.
Friends have paid tribute to him on Facebook, with one saying: “Rest in Power great man. I don’t know what else to say but I love you, and I always will.”
Another wrote: “Recaldo Thomas still finds this hard to believe.”
Ayla Ronald
Ayla Ronald and her partner are two of the 15 survivors of the yacht disaster, law firm Clifford Chance has confirmed.
The 36-year-old worked to defend Mr Lynch in court and was on the tour as part of the celebration of his acquittal.
Clifford Chance said in a statement: “Our top priority is to support the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who survived the incident with her partner.”
She is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, but lives in London, said her father Lin Ronald The Telegraph, saying she was “very upset.”
Mr Ronald said she had been “invited to sail because of the recent success of the US court case”.
Matthew
Ayla’s partner Matthew also survived the boating disaster. Little is known about his background or condition.
Charlotte Golunski
Charlotte Golunski’s testimony about the ordeal on the ship was one of the first to be published after she was rescued with her one-year-old daughter, Sofia.
She spoke to the Italian newspaper The Republicconfirming that she survived the sinking yacht and that she told how she kept her daughter alive after she was rescued. She said: “I kept her afloat with all my strength, my arms outstretched to keep her from drowning. It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was screaming for help but I couldn’t hear around me other people’s screams.”
The 35-year-old is a partner at Invoke Capital, one of Mr. Lynch’s law firms, and has worked there since 2012, according to her LinkedIn profile.
James Emsley
Ms Golunksi’s partner, James Emsley, was also rescued from the yacht, according to the Sicilian civil protection agency. Little is known about him, but it has been confirmed that the 36-year-old is the father of her one-year-old daughter.
Sofia
One-year-old Sofia was rescued from the water by her mother and was subsequently cared for in hospital.
Ms Golunski told the Italian newspaper The Republic that her family only survived because they were on deck when the yacht sank after encountering a heavy storm.
Dr Domenico Cipolla told local media that the family had “a physical and psychological change in their lives”.
He said the hospital “provided the baby with toys, cuddles, and fed them because they were scared and hungry”.
The family of three left Di Cristina Children’s Hospital in a black van on Tuesday through a back entrance today. They were accompanied by an official from the British embassy, who covered the family’s faces with a jacket to hide them from a huddle of photographers.
James Catfield
The captain of the great James Catfield survived the horror and broke his silence on Tuesday with just five words.
He said: “We didn’t see it coming” and was described as a “limp” as he waited outside an emergency room in the Sicilian town of Termini Imerese, according to local media.
Leo Eppel
The Italian coast guard confirmed on Tuesday evening that crew member Leo Eppel survived the sinking yacht.
