The autopsies of four victims on the Mike Lynch yacht indicate that they died of suffocation

According to preliminary exams, four of the victims of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch’s family boat that crashed off the coast of Sicily last month died of asphyxia after the oxygen on board the sinking vessel ran out, according to judicial sources on Thursday.

On August 19, during a violent and abrupt weather occurrence off the town of Porticello, near Palermo, the British-flagged 56-meter (184-foot) superyacht Bayesian sank, killing Lynch, his daughter Hannah, an onboard cook, and four guests.

Four victims, including lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, head of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Judith, appeared to have suffocated to death after becoming confined on the ship, according to preliminary autopsy results.
According to the sources, more forensic testing was ordered, and the results should be known in the upcoming weeks.

They also stated that Lynch and his daughter’s bodies were scheduled to be examined later on Thursday.

According to the chief of Palermo’s Fire Brigade last month, the bodies of the deceased, with the exception of the cook, were discovered in the staterooms on the left side of the boat, where the passengers may have attempted to look for any lingering air bubbles.

The Italian authorities have opened an investigation against James Cutfield, the ship’s skipper, and Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths for possible manslaughter and shipwreck.

Being the subject of an investigation does not indicate guilt or the filing of formal charges.

According to remarks made last week to the Italian news agency Ansa, Griffiths, who was on watch duty the night of the accident, told authorities that the crew members tried everything in their power to save everyone on board the Bayesian.

Experts in naval architecture have expressed puzzlement at the sinking, stating that a ship such as the Bayesian, built by Perini, an upscale yacht builder owned by The Italian Sea Group (TISGR.MI), opens new tab, ought to have weathered the storm and, in any event, ought not to have sunk as fast as it did.