Four of the seven victims who were killed in the Bayesian superyacht wreck last month were trapped alive inside the ship's cabins as it sank off the coast of Sicily, their autopsies revealed.
New York City attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, along with Jonathan Bloomer, chair of Morgan Stanley Bank International, and his wife, Judy, all died of "dry drowning," according to tests conducted in the past two days, Italian outlet La Repubblica reported. None of the four passengers on the 185-foot sailboat had water in their lungs, trachea, or stomach, indicating they didn't drown in seawater after the vessel started sinking during the storm on August 19.
Passengers Died of Dry Drowning
Pathologists from the Palermo Institute of Forensic Medicine concluded that the four victims died from asphyxiation when the air bubble they were trapped in ran out of oxygen and became filled with toxic levels of carbon dioxide.
The Italian publication reported that their cause of death was identified as "death by confinement."
The bodies of the Morvillos, the Bloomers, and British tech billionaire and yacht owner Mike Lynch were found in the same cabin on the left side of the $40 million yacht.
Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was found in the adjacent room, also on the left side of the hull.
The ship sank to the ocean floor, coming to rest on its right side, which suggests that the victims were likely awake and sought refuge in the cabins that filled with water last, hoping to find air pockets.
However, these air pockets quickly became toxic as the victims used up the remaining oxygen, exhaling carbon dioxide.
Died with Nobody to Help
Angela Bacares, Lynch's wife and Hannah's mother, who survived the shipwreck, reportedly tried to alert those below deck. However, she was injured by broken glass and could not reach the cabins as they rapidly filled with water, according to local reports.
Bacares was one of the 15 passengers and crew members who survived the yacht disaster.
One crew member, the ship's cook, Recaldo Thomas, also lost his life. His body was found floating beside the sunken yacht.
Further tests are required to verify that the four victims died from "dry drowning," according to La Repubblica.
Autopsies for Lynch, Hannah, and Thomas are set to take place on Friday.
The exact cause of the ship's sinking remains undetermined, although the stormy weather is thought to have played a role.
Three Bayesian crew members from Bayesian, including Captain James Cutfield, are under investigation for suspected negligent manslaughter and their potential involvement in the shipwreck.
