Autopsies have revealed the causes of death for two superyacht passengers who were killed when the £30 million Mike Lynch vessel sank in a thunderstorm off the coast of Sicily. Authorities are continuing their criminal investigation into the tragedy.
Autopsies have been conducted on the two victims who drowned when the superyacht Bayesian sank last month during a severe storm, resulting in the loss of seven lives. Among those who perished were tech billionaire Mike Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, who was set to begin studies at Oxford University later this month. Mr. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, along with 14 others, survived the incident. The £30 million vessel sank off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily, on August 19.
The initial autopsies conducted on lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda confirmed that they drowned, with no signs of other injuries. These findings were reported on Monday. Autopsies on the remaining victims will proceed throughout the week as part of the ongoing judicial investigation into the incident.
All the victims of the superyacht Bayesian were passengers, except for the boat’s cook, Recaldo Thomas, whose body was the first to be recovered after the yacht sank.
Three crew members, including Captain James Cutfield, are under investigation in Italy for suspected multiple negligent manslaughter and causing a shipwreck. Cutfield exercised his right to remain silent when questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday. His lawyers indicated that he was exhausted and needed more time to prepare a defense.
A survivor of the incident, Matthew Griffiths, who was on watch duty during the tragedy, stated that the crew did everything possible to rescue those on board. Griffiths, one of the 22 people on the yacht, reported that the vessel was struck by a severe waterspout just a few hundred meters from Porticello port in the early hours of August 19.
Matthew Griffiths recounted the events of the night to Ansa, explaining that he woke the captain when the wind reached 20 knots (23 mph), prompting the captain to order everyone else to wake up. Griffiths described how the yacht tilted and they were thrown into the water. Despite the chaos, they managed to regroup and attempt to rescue as many people as possible. He noted that they were walking on the walls of the boat during the rescue efforts. Griffiths specifically mentioned that Captain Cutfield played a crucial role in saving passenger Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter. In total, there were 15 survivors of the wreck.
Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano suggested last week that the Bayesian was likely struck by a ‘downburst,’ a powerful downward wind. However, the swift sinking of the vessel has confounded naval experts, who believe that a yacht of the Bayesian’s quality, built by Italian manufacturer Perini, should have been able to withstand the storm and should not have sunk so rapidly.
The investigation, led by prosecutors in Termini Imerese near Palermo, is ongoing. They are exploring whether human error contributed to the disaster, with claims that ‘portholes and hatches’ may have been left open, allowing water to flood the vessel and cause it to sink in just 16 minutes.
Chief Engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 56, from the UK, is also under investigation. He has asserted to prosecutors that he adhered to all procedures and ensured the yacht was watertight. According to leaked excerpts from his statement, Parker Eaton maintains that all doors and openings were closed as the storm hit.
Chief Engineer Tim Parker Eaton stated that he activated the generators and the hydraulic pump for the rudder and ensured all portholes and hatches were closed, except for the hatch to the engine room, which he believes would not have caused the disaster as it was at the opposite end of where the yacht sank.
The tragedy occurred earlier this month when tech billionaire Mike Lynch, 59, invited friends and family to celebrate his recent acquittal in a major US fraud case. The 56-meter (185-foot) yacht was anchored off Porticello near Palermo when it was struck by a storm and sank within minutes. The bodies of Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, and other victims were recovered in a major search operation.
Chief Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, leading the investigation, will examine all aspects of responsibility, including those of the captain, crew, supervisors, and the yacht’s manufacturer. Investigators are focused on why a vessel deemed ‘unsinkable’ by its manufacturer, Perini Navi, sank so rapidly while a nearby sailboat remained largely intact. The event is believed to have been caused by a ‘downburst,’ a powerful localized wind descending from a thunderstorm.
