In a tragic turn of events, Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, is among six individuals missing after the yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily during a violent storm.
The British-flagged 56-meter sailboat, carrying 22 passengers and crew, was hit by a tornado near the Porticello harbor in the early hours of Monday morning.
Among the missing are UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, and their one-year-old child were among the 15 rescued, but survivors reported the deep emotional toll of the disaster, which claimed one life—believed to be the yacht’s chef.
Salvatore Cocina, head of the civil protection agency in Sicily, confirmed that Bloomer and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer from Clifford Chance, were among those unaccounted for. The survivors, deeply shaken, were rushed to hospitals, with many recounting how they narrowly escaped the disaster. A nearby vessel’s crew helped rescue Lynch’s wife and child from a life raft.
The incident unfolded as extreme weather conditions—fueled by unusually warm Mediterranean waters—triggered destructive storms across Italy. Rescue divers continue searching for those still missing, while Italian authorities investigate the accident.
This tragedy adds to a somber week for Mike Lynch, who learned that his co-defendant in a US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, had died in a separate incident after being hit by a car in the UK. Lynch had only recently been acquitted of fraud charges relating to the sale of his software company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard.
The yacht, which had sunk to a depth of 49 meters, remains at the bottom of the sea as rescue efforts continue. As authorities continue to search for survivors, the emotional toll weighs heavily on those involved, with the incident casting a shadow over the luxurious Sicilian coast. Experts warn that the recent extreme weather may become more frequent, underscoring the dangers of climate change.
