The Bayesian superyacht that sank in August 2024, resulting in the deaths of British tech billionaire Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five other people, did not sink due to a storm, the ongoing investigation has found.
Italian prosecutors have determined that the intensity of the weather on the night the Lynch-owned vessel sank off the coast of Sicily was manageable. The ship went under water near Palermo around 5 in the morning on August 19, 2024.
The Italian prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the case.
According to sky news, the investigation showed that there was a sudden increase in wind speed, little more than a gust, which should have been readily apparent to the crew.
The investigation revealed that the vessel sank due to the crew’s “improper actions, underestimating the weather and not properly activating certain safety devices.”
The preliminary investigation has also raised the possibility of criminal negligence on the part of the captain and two crew members. The possible crimes include negligent shipwreck and multiple counts of manslaughter.
A preliminary report published by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) last year showed that guests used a “makeshift ladder” to try to escape after the vessel capsized.
Other victims of the ship include the yacht’s chef Recaldo Thomas; Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer; and Mr. Lynch’s lawyer, Chris Morvillo, and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
