Who Disappeared From the Sunken Yacht? Tech Magnate Mike Lynch and 5 Others.

A cruise through the Mediterranean aboard a superyacht was meant to be a celebratory occasion for British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who was acquitted in June of fraud charges in connection with the sale of his company Autonomy to tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

Instead, it became a disaster after the yacht, a 180-foot boat called the Bayesian, sank off the coast of Sicily in a violent storm. Of the 22 passengers on board, 15 were rescued, one body was recovered and six were still missing. Searches at the site of the sunken yacht continued Tuesday.

Here’s what we know about the passengers.

Mike Lynch and his family

Mr Lynch, 59, is a British software entrepreneur once described as his country’s Bill Gates. He founded the software company Autonomy, which analysed unorganised customer data, and turned it into one of the UK’s leading technology companies of its time. He became a widely known business leader, advising David Cameron, the then British prime minister, and joining the board of the BBC.

In 2011, Mr. Lynch sold Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion, well above market value and netting him hundreds of millions. But HP investors were almost immediately disappointed with the deal, and the U.S. tech giant quickly fired its CEO — and then Mr. Lynch.

HP later accused Lynch of misleading the company about the health of Autonomy’s business, leading to a decade-long legal ordeal for the British executive, who denied the allegations. U.S. prosecutors charged him and other executives with fraud, and Autonomy’s chief financial officer was convicted in 2018.

Despite requests to the British government, Mr Lynch was extradited to the United States last year and was held in a San Francisco mansion ahead of his criminal trial, which began in March. Facing the possibility of decades in prison if convicted, Mr Lynch and another associate were instead acquitted of all charges.

Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, 57, was with him on the yacht and was rescued on Monday when it sank. She was a constant presence at his trial in the United States. Documents show she controlled Revtom, the company listed as owning the Bayesian.

Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of Mr Lynch and Mrs Bacares, was also on the yacht and was among those still missing.

The other guests

Among the missing is Jonathan Bloomer, 70, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s international arm and chairman of Hiscox, an insurance company traded on the London Stock Exchange. His wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, is also listed as missing.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected, especially the Bloomer family, as we all await further updates on this terrible situation,” Morgan Stanley said in a statement.

Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a New York partner at the international law firm Clifford Chance, is also among the missing. Mr. Morvillo, a former federal prosecutor who comes from a family of prominent lawyers, represented Mr. Lynch at his criminal trial in San Francisco. His wife, Neda, 57, was with him on the yacht and is also among the missing.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” a representative for Clifford Chance said in a statement.

Survivors include Charlotte Golunski, a partner at Mr. Lynch’s venture firm, Invoke Capital; Ms. Golunski’s husband, James Emslie, and their 1-year-old daughter, Sophie. Also rescued were Ayla Ronald, a lawyer at Clifford Chance, and her partner, Matthew Fletcher.

The crew

The yacht had a crew of 10. The body of the chef, Ricardo Thomas, was recovered from the water, the Sicilian Civil Protection Service said.

Elisabeth Povoledo contributed to the reporting, and Kitty Bennett And Susan Campbell Beachy contributed to research.