Search For Six Missing People, Including Tech Mogul, After Superyacht Sinks Off Sicily

On a fateful Tuesday, search and rescue teams, along with divers, were actively conducting operations to locate six individuals, including a prominent British tech entrepreneur and a high-ranking Morgan Stanley executive, who went missing when their luxury superyacht met with a dire turn during a tempest off the coast of Sicily.

The Vanishing Act of the Bayesian

The identities of the missing individuals came to light following an initial search of the ill-fated 184-foot sailboat, the Bayesian, which had proved fruitless on the previous day. As the storm bore down, the British-flagged vessel, with a total of 22 souls on board, succumbed to the elements, leading to its sinking off the shores of Palermo, Sicily's principal city, at approximately 5 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) on the preceding Monday, as reported by the local coast guard.

In the wake of the tragedy, 15 survivors were swiftly rescued by a nearby vessel and subsequently transported to safety by coast guard boats. However, the fateful turn of events left six passengers, comprising American, British, and Canadian citizens, unaccounted for, as they were believed to be trapped within the submerged hull of the vessel, resting some 164 feet beneath the surface.

Notable Figures Among the Missing

As dawn broke, Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily's Civil Protection Agency, revealed to NBC News that among the missing were distinguished individuals: British tech luminary Mike Lynch, accompanied by his daughter, and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, alongside his spouse. The list of the missing also included Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife. However, the nationalities of the individuals were not disclosed, nor were the identities of Lynch's daughter and the wives of Bloomer and Morvillo specified.

Challenges in Recovery Efforts

Italy's national fire department disclosed that its divers managed to access the wreckage during a late-night dive on the preceding Monday. They meticulously inspected cabins situated beneath the bridge, but their efforts were hampered by obstructions and confined access points. Rescuers expressed the grim possibility that victims may be ensconced within the cabins, yet they had thus far been unable to ascertain this through the ship's portholes. Surface searches persisted in the vicinity of the wreckage, utilizing helicopters and fire brigade vessels to scour the area.

Tragic Loss and Uncertainty

The coast guard, in a statement issued on Monday, reported the unfortunate demise of the ship's cook, whose nationality remained undisclosed. However, sources revealed him to be Ricardo Thomas, a citizen of Antigua. A representative from Clifford Chance refrained from commenting on or confirming the news regarding Morvillo's absence, although it was noted that he serves as a lawyer for the firm based in New York, as per the company's official website.