Two people on sunken Mike Lynch yacht suffocated in cabin, says source

Members of the rescue team at the scene after the Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Porticello, Sicily. Seven people died, including tech entrepreneur Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. File photo: Jonathan Brady/PA

Two of the people who died on tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s yacht, which capsized and sank off the coast of Sicily on August 19, allegedly died from asphyxiation when they ran out of oxygen in the cabins.

According to a source, Chris Morvillo, a Clifford Chance lawyer, and his wife, Neda, “did not have water in their lungs, trachea, and stomach”.

The source, who described the deaths of the victims as “death by confinement”, confirmed the version provided by the firefighters’ divers and the coastguard, who had stated that the passengers trapped in the cabins had probably attempted to consume the oxygen in the air bubble that had formed as the boat sank.

Despite the clear evidence from the initial examinations, the source added that “the results are still provisional, as histological exams on samples taken from the bodies will be needed to ascertain the cause of death”.

The superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Porticello, a fishing village near Palermo, when the area was hit by violent storms. Seven people died, including tech entrepreneur Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.

A total of 15 people survived, including Lynch’s wife, whose company owned the Bayesian. It is thought that it was struck by a downburst, a gusty wind associated with storms.

Italian prosecutors have placed three crew members under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck, including the captain of the yacht, James Cutfield.

According to the local fire rescue service, “the bodies were found in the highest part of the ship, as it was clear people were trying to hide in cabins on the left-hand side”. The ship landed on its right-hand side after it sank, plunging to a depth of about 50 metres.

Officials believe the passengers sought escape routes, reaching the opposite side of the vessel they were in. The space to breathe was quickly shrinking as the water rapidly flooded the rooms and the air bubble was becoming increasingly toxic due to the rise in carbon dioxide.

The body of Ricardo Thomas, the onboard cook for the yacht Bayesian, was found in the water near the vessel. Five of the victims were reportedly found in different rooms from those indicated by survivors.

According to La Repubblica, the bodies of Morgan Stanley International’s chair, Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife, Judy, are also believed to have died from suffocation, with the results of their autopsies reportedly identical to those of the Morvillo spouses.

The head forensic doctors at the Policlinico hospital in Palermo, who is carrying out autopsies on the bodies of the victims, declined to comment.

Guardian