As the investigation into the Bayesian superyacht sinking continues to be carried out, autopsy results have provided insight into the tragic final moments of the passengers who died in the accident. Four out of the seven victims reportedly died after they became trapped in the cabins of the $40 million, 185-foot ship when it hit turbulent storms off the coast of Sicily on Aug. 19.
As reported by the Italian media outlet la Repubblica, via the New York Post, New York City lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda, Morgan Stanley Bank International chair Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judy all died of asphyxiation. Tests conducted this week by Pathologists with the Palermo Institute of Forensic Medicine found that none of the four passengers had water in their lungs, trachea or stomach, meaning that they didn't drown in the water.
Instead, they likely ran out of oxygen in an air bubble they were trapped in and died when the air became toxic due to carbon dioxide. The cause of death for the four victims, who were all found in the same cabin on the left side of the ship along with British tech magnate Mike Lynch, was listed as "death by confinement."
The body of Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah was found in the next room on the left side of the hull, though the cause of death is currently unclear.
Authorities believe that the ship sank to the ocean floor and came to a rest on its right side, so the victims were likely awake at the time and searching for air pockets among the rooms. The reports more or less track with what the head of the firm that manufactured the ship said when speaking with reporters last month.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the guests should not have been in their cabins when the storm hit, but assembled at the ship's emergency meeting point. Rescue efforts had been hampered by debris blocking the underwater path to the cabins, where six out of the seven victims were ultimately discovered. The body of the ship's chef, Recaldo Thomas, was found floating in the water shortly after the vessel sank.
"It took on water with the guests still in the cabin. All it took was a 40-degree tilt and those in the cabin found themselves with the door above. Can you imagine a 60-70 year old man climbing out?" Costantino extrapolated. "Everything that has been done reveals a very long sum of errors. The people should not have been in the cabins."
Out of the 22 total passengers and crew members aboard the ship, 15 were rescued safely. James Cutfield, the captain of the ship, as well as two other crew members, currently remain under investigation for possible negligence that may have contributed to the sinking.
