Four of the seven victims killed in the Bayesian superyacht wreck were trapped alive inside the ship's cabins and suffocated to death, according to their autopsies.
Lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, along with Morgan Stanley Bank International Chair Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, all died of asphyxiation after the yacht’s air pockets ran out of oxygen, not from drowning, Italian outlet La Repubblica reported.
Highlights
- Four victims of the Bayesian yacht wreck died from suffocation, not drowning.
- The yacht's air pockets ran out of oxygen and filled with toxic carbon dioxide.
- A waterspout caused by a heavy thunderstorm led to the superyacht's sinking on August 19.
The $33 million vessel ran into a sudden, violent storm off the coast of northern Sicily and sank in the early hours of August 19.
Autopsies conducted over the past two days on the four passengers found that neither had water in their lungs, stomachs, or trachea.
Image credits: Merijn de Waard/SuperYacht Times
The results come amid conspiracy theories suggesting a connection between the sinking of the yacht and the acquittal of Mike Lynch, one of its passengers.
Pathologists with the Palermo Institute of Forensic Medicine determined the four victims died of asphyxiation when the air pockets they tried to breathe in ran out of oxygen and "quickly filled with rising levels of toxic carbon dioxide."
Their bodies were recovered on the left side of the cabins. Their positioning suggests they were seeking the last air pockets as the yacht was sinking.
Among the victims were also British tech magnate Mike Lynch, who had sailed to celebrate his acquittal from fraud charges in June in the US, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, and yacht chef Renaldo Thomas.
The businessman wanted to celebrate with those who had been closest to him during the 10-year judicial ordeal.
Image credits: Jonathan Brady/PA Image
The remaining post-mortem analyses on Lynch, his daughter, and Thomas will be carried out on Friday (September 6).
Angela Bacares, Lynch's wife and Hanna's mother, reportedly tried to warn those below deck that the ship was sinking.
As she told Italian media, she and Lynch had been woken around 4 am after the superyacht suddenly tilted in a violent storm.
Becares was reportedly injured when she stepped on broken glass, and she wasn't able to reach the cabins as they quickly filled with water.
The mother was one of the 22 passengers and crew members on the yacht who survived after being rescued from a raft.
Morgan Stanley Bank International Chair Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy, died of asphyxiation inside the superyacht's cabins on August 19
Image credits: staceyitv
The vessel was anchored close to the coast, 300 meters from Porticello, when it was hit by a waterspout—a whirlwind that develops at sea—created by a heavy thunderstorm that took place near Palermo at around five in the morning.
Experts have noted that the sinking represents an extremely rare occurrence, given the boat's size and the captain's inability to predict the extreme weather.
"There were weather warnings out that evening for intense thunderstorms. They are still incredibly rare weather events," explained Matthew Shank, chairman of the Maritime Search and Rescue Council. "It was unprecedented."
The vessel was hit by a waterspout, a whirlwind that develops at sea and is created by a heavy thunderstorm, in northern Sicily
Image credits: Jonathan Brady/PA Images
"I've never heard of a 56-meter (183 ft) boat being sunk like this," Stewart Campbell, the editor-in-chief of Boat International, said during an interview with the BBC.
"This is a supremely well-made and capable trans-oceanic vessel. They are designed to withstand extreme weather."
While the storm was anticipated, winds were higher than expected, stated Campbell.
"The forecast was of a light offshore breeze. None of my colleagues in the industry expected this. They are all as shocked as I am," he added.
Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily's Civil Protection, said that the force of the storm caused the Bayesian's mast to break in half, causing damage to the hull and resulting in the boat becoming unbalanced. Its 72-meter (237 ft) mast was the world's tallest aluminum mast and the second-tallest overall, as per Sky News.
Lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, were also among the victims
Image credits: Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan
The Sir Robert, a nearby Dutch sailing ship, was anchored just meters away from the Bayesian and managed to escape from the storm unharmed.
The autopsies of the four victims have reignited conspiracy theories suggesting a connection between the events leading up to the tragedy and the deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and those close to him.
Lynch was accused of inflating the value of his development company, Autonomy, before selling it for $11.1 billion to the US corporate giant HP.
Since 2012, the magnate has faced a total of 15 charges (one for conspiracy and 14 for fraud). He was acquitted last June.
The bodies of British tech magnate Mike Lynch, who had sailed to celebrate his acquittal from fraud charges, and his daughter, Hannah, were also recovered
Image credits: The Royal Society/Wikimedia Commons
What has fueled theories is that 48 hours before the Bayesian sank, Lynch's co-defendant and friend, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being run over while jogging in Stretham, Cambridgeshire.
The main conspiracy involves claims that the businessman and his co-defendant were both killed as revenge, although it's not clear by whom or why.
"That was a deliberate clean murder; we will never get to the bottom of it. Mike Lynch just won his case," an X user wrote.
"The problem with this story is that there was a smaller boat moored near the Bayesian - and it had no problem riding out the storm…" another said.
A third user added: "There is no way this guy and his co-defendant died in two separate random accidents just days after winning an almost unwinnable case."
Italian prosecutors are investigating the boat's captain, James Cutfield, ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton, and sailor Matthew Griffith for possible manslaughter and shipwreck charges
Image credits: Breed Media/SuperYacht Times
Image credits: guardiacostiera
Italian prosecutors are reportedly investigating the boat's captain, James Cutfield, ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton, and sailor Matthew Griffith for possible manslaughter and shipwreck charges.
Giovanni Rizzuti, one of two legal representatives appointed to defend Cutfield, said the captain has been "deeply affected by this ordeal."
"We are currently assessing, with other legal representatives, the defense strategy and examining the technical aspects of the case."
