City veteran and Morgan Stanley chairman among those missing after yacht incident in Sicily

City business leaders expressed their “deep sadness” as they confirmed that two employees of British technology magnate Mike Lynch were among those missing on the yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily.

Jonathan Bloomer, CEO of Morgan Stanley International, Christopher Morvillo, lawyer at Clifford Chance, and their two wives have been missing since the incident.

Rescue teams are also searching for Mr Lynch and his daughter Hannah.

The yacht, named Bayesian, sank in the early hours of Monday morning during violent storms off the coast of Palermo.

Aki Hussain, chief executive of Hiscox, where Mr Bloomer is non-executive chairman, issued a statement as the search continues.

Mr Hussain said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected, especially our Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and their families as they await further news of this terrible situation.”

Mr. Bloomer is a well-known businessman who has held numerous board positions following an extensive career in financial services.

From 2000 to 2005 he was CEO of the global financial group Prudential and is currently Chairman of Morgan Stanley International as well as of Hiscox and the real estate company SDL.

In addition, Mr. Bloomer was named in court filings as a board member and chairman of the audit committee of Autonomy, the software company founded by Mr. Lynch.

Since 2010, he has held the position of Chairman and in this role was responsible for overseeing financial reporting and corporate governance.

Earlier this year, Lynch was acquitted of charges of organizing a fraud and conspiracy that led to the sale of Autonomy to US company Hewlett Packard (HP) for £8.6 billion.

Mr Bloomer was one of those who testified as a witness for the defense for Mr Lynch, and according to media reports, the two are close friends.

Meanwhile, Mr. Morvillo, a partner at the law firm Clifford Chance who is also reported missing, represented Mr. Lynch during the lengthy fraud trial in which he was eventually acquitted of all charges.

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A spokeswoman for Clifford Chance said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic incident.

“Our thoughts are with our partner Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda, who are among the missing.

“Our top priority is to support the family and our colleague Ayla Ronald, who fortunately survived the incident together with her partner.

“Our thoughts are with the other passengers and crew and all those affected.

“We have no further comment at this time. We and the families ask that their wish for privacy be respected during this time.”

The search for the missing passengers and crew on board the superyacht resumed on Tuesday.

Fifteen of the 22 passengers and crew on board – including Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares – were able to escape into a lifeboat.