Investigations are ongoing into the causes of death of three UK citizens following the tragic sinking of the Bayesian Superyacht near Sicily, as informed in the series of inquest commencements in the United Kingdom. Billionaire Mike Lynch, tech magnate, lost his life through drowning. The unfortunate event also claimed the lives of his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, and 70-year-old Jonathan Bloomer, the chair of Morgan Stanley International bank, along with his wife Judy Bloomer aged 71.
This statement was made by Suffolk Police’s Detective Superintendent Mike Brown. The investigator explained that the yacht went under “for yet to be determined reasons”, sinking rapidly between 4:15-4:45 am on August 19th. Search efforts were initiated in the immediate aftermath and continued nonstop over the following days. The bodies were eventually found in the vessel’s cabins.
The official time of death for all four victims was documented as 5 am on the same day. Independent inquests for each of the four have begun and been postponed in Ipswich until a session set for April 15th next year.
Detective Brown revealed that, at the time of the catastrophe, the Bayesian was situated 0.8 nautical miles from Porticello, a fishing village. The yacht was carrying 22 individuals, 12 crew members, and 10 guests. The disaster led to the loss of seven lives, four of whom were UK nationals. Inquests have been launched into their deaths.
Post-mortem examinations by Professor Antonia D’Argo identified that Mr Lynch’s probable cause of death was drowning, which was confirmed on August 22nd, following the retrieval of his body. The Bloomers’ deaths were confirmed on August 21st and Miss Lynch’s death was confirmed on August 23rd, after their bodies had been recovered.
The cause of death for Hannah and the Bloomers still needs to be ascertained, as told by Detective Brown. Their post-mortems were conducted by Dr Tomasso D’Anna.
The incident has triggered a separate investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), aimed at determining how the yacht sank. Similarly, Italian officials have launched a parallel criminal investigation of their own.
The Lynches were London residents, while the Bloomers hailed from Sevenoaks in Kent, UK.
Apart from the four UK citizens, the fatalities also included an American attorney, Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo, and Recaldo Thomas, a chef on the vessel who held dual nationality of Canada and Antigua.