Five bodies have been found in the search for six people missing after the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily.

The island’s civil protection agency confirmed on Wednesday that four out of the five bodies have been recovered and a sixth person remains unaccounted for.

It comes after the body of a chef on the superyacht, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered on Monday.

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The identities of the bodies found on Wednesday, and the remaining missing person, have not been confirmed but the group of six unaccounted for after the yacht sank are Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda.

Here, the PA news agency details what we know of those who were on board.

– Recaldo Thomas

The first body recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday was that of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the Bayesian superyacht, the Italian coastguard told Sky News.

In a tribute shared on Tuesday, Gareth Williams, a friend of Mr Thomas, told the BBC: “I can talk for everyone that knew him when I say he was a well-loved, kind human being with a calm spirit.”

Mr Thomas grew up in Antigua and spent his time there during the off-season, Mr Williams said.

Another friend, Eli Fuller, told the outlet Mr Thomas was “friends with everybody”, “always positive” and “sought after” in his profession.

– Mike Lynch

Mike Lynch
Mike Lynch (Yui Mok/PA)

British technology tycoon Mr Lynch founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, and made his name as one of Britain’s most influential entrepreneurs.

In June, the 59-year-old was cleared of conducting a massive fraud relating to an 11 billion dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal.

He was made an OBE for services to enterprise in 2006. That same year, he was appointed to the board of the BBC, and was later elected to then-prime minister David Cameron’s council for science and technology in 2011.

David Tabizel, Mr Lynch’s Autonomy co-founder, told Sky News on Tuesday: “He has been one of the most influential, intelligent and most honourable human beings I have ever had the honour of knowing.”

Ruth Leigh, a neighbour of Mr Lynch from Pettistree in Suffolk, said on Tuesday: “Once a year he’d host a party on the lawn and we’d all go to it.

“He’s just a really nice person. I know that sounds a bit trite, but for a man in his position with every right he could have been quite lofty but he wasn’t, he got involved.

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“He used to come and speak at the church in the village on Remembrance Sunday.

“He was a very charitable man, he gave a lot of his time and effort which was good. We just had an incredibly high opinion of him.”

– Hannah Lynch

The 18-year-old daughter of Mr Lynch had recently finished her A-levels and was due to study at Oxford University.

A spokesperson for Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, west London, where Hannah was a former pupil, said on Tuesday: “We are all incredibly shocked by the news that Hannah and her father are among those missing in this tragic incident and our thoughts are with their family and everyone involved as we await further updates.”

– Jonathan Bloomer

Jonathan Bloomer
Jonathan Bloomer (Hiscox/PA)

The Morgan Stanley International bank chairman is a prominent businessman who holds a number of boardroom roles after an extensive career in financial services.

He was the chief executive of global finance group Prudential between 2000 and 2005, and is chairman of Morgan Stanley International as well as Hiscox and property business SDL.

Mr Bloomer was among those to give evidence as a defence witness for Mr Lynch, and media reports suggest the pair are close friends.

Aki Hussain, group chief executive of Hiscox, said in a statement on Tuesday: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular our chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy, who are among the missing, and with their family as they await further news from this terrible situation.”

A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley said on Tuesday: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragedy.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected, in particular the Bloomer family, as we all wait for further news from this terrible situation.”

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– Judy Bloomer

Mr Bloomer’s wife Judy is a respected psychotherapist.

– Chris Morvillo

Mr Morvillo, a partner at law firm Clifford Chance, represented Mr Lynch during the long-running criminal fraud trial where he was eventually cleared of all charges.

A spokeswoman for Clifford Chance said on Tuesday: “We are in shock 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 utmost priority is providing support to the family as well as our colleague Ayla Ronald, who together with her partner, thankfully survived the incident.”

– Neda Morvillo

Mr Morvillo’s wife Neda reportedly runs a luxury jewellery line.