Authorities have disclosed that initial autopsies for four of the seven victims who perished in the Bayesian superyacht sinking last month indicate they succumbed to ‘dry drowning’.
The 160-foot yacht, Bayesian, capsized on the morning of August 19, after encountering a fierce storm. This incident led to the yacht sinking within just 16 minutes. There were 22 individuals aboard, comprising 12 passengers and 10 crew members.
While 15 people were rescued, seven tragically lost their lives. Among the deceased were British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, and the yacht’s chef Recaldo Thomas.
According to CNN, the autopsies of the four victims showed no presence of water in their lungs, tracheas, or stomachs. Investigators concluded that the victims likely died from ‘dry drowning’ or ‘atypical drowning.’
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that the cause of death for the four victims indicates they had found an air pocket within one of the yacht’s cabins but eventually suffocated as the oxygen was depleted, rendering the air bubble toxic due to carbon dioxide build-up.
The absence of water in their bodies points to a depletion of oxygen as the cause of death rather than traditional drowning.
As reported by CNN, the autopsies of Morvillo, Neda, Bloomer, and Judy were performed on Wednesday at the Forensic Medicine Institute of the Palermo Polyclinic hospital.
The autopsies for Lynch and his daughter are scheduled for Friday, while Thomas’ autopsy is yet to be scheduled due to difficulties in contacting his family in Antigua.
All seven victims were scanned for injuries last Saturday, revealing no broken bones or physical injuries that could have contributed to their deaths.
The autopsies are part of a criminal investigation involving the yacht’s captain James Cutfield, machine engineer Tim Parker Eaton, and sailor Matthew Griffith, who was on watch the night the yacht sank.
The three men are under investigation for ‘multiple manslaughter’ and potentially causing the shipwreck. However, authorities note that this does not necessarily mean they will face charges.
The Bayesian remains underwater and will need to be raised as part of the investigation and to prevent any potential fuel leakage into the surrounding sea.
The cost of salvaging the ship will reportedly be covered by the company of Angela Bacares, Lynch’s wife, who survived the shipwreck.