Initial Examinations Reveal Cause Of Death For 4 Victims Of Mike Lynch’s Yacht Sinking

Four of the people in the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch’s family yacht, the Bayesian, that sank off Sicily last month died of suffocation as oxygen ran out in an air bubble on the vessel, according to initial autopsy reports.

The yacht sunken on August 19, 2024, in Porticello, Palermo, led Italian authorities to investigate possible manslaughter and shipwreck charges.

Autopsies on four of the victims, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith, lawyer Christopher Morvillo, and his wife Neda, reveal that they died after getting trapped below deck and suffocating as the oxygen in an air pocket ran out.

The forensic reports, detailed by the Italian publication La Repubblica, found no water in their lungs, revealing “atypical drowning.” The findings support investigators’ suspicions that the victims found air pockets inside the sinking yacht but died due to rising carbon dioxide levels.

Further autopsies are planned for the remaining victims, including Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, and the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas.

Lynch, his daughter, an onboard cook, and four guests were killed when the 56-meter British-flagged superyacht sank immediately after being hit by a strong storm. All of the bodies, apart from the chef, were discovered in cabins on the left side of the vessel, where it’s possible that the passengers were searching for any remaining pockets of air. Lynch’s body and his daughter’s were discovered in separate cabins.

Italian authorities launched an inquiry into the yacht’s captain, James Cutfield, and crew members Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, who are being investigated for possible manslaughter and shipwreck. Griffiths, on watch duty at the time of the incident, told investigators that the crew tried everything they could to save people on board as the yacht tilted.

The immediate sinking of the Bayesian, a luxury yacht built by high-end manufacturer Perini, has confused nautical experts, who believe that the vessel should have survived the storm. Investigators are trying to find out why the yacht anchored near Porticello sank so quickly during a suspected “downburst” storm, only 400 meters from its anchoring.

The fifteen survivors, including Lynch’s wife, escaped on an inflatable life raft. Mr Parker Eaton dismissed reports that external doors were left open during the storm, possibly enabling water to flood the engine room.

The inquiry is still underway, with investigators awaiting further forensic evidence and attempting to determine the incidents that led to the terrible sinking.

Reference: Sky News, Independent

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