Initial autopsies of four of the seven victims who died when a superyacht sank in a storm in Italy last month show they died by “dry drowning”, authorities said.
The phenomenon, also known as “atypical drowning,” means they did not have water in their lungs, trachea or stomach, said a spokesman for the lawyer for the captain of the Bayesian, which sank off the Sicilian port of Porticello on August 19.
There is no medically recognized “dry drowning.” Sometimes people are referred to as “dry drowning” or other terms such as “secondary drowning” or “delayed drowning” to describe patients who worsened after a rescue or who had very little water in their lungs. However, the American Red Cross and other health organizations have recommended against using these terms. People can experience health effects after being in the water, but that’s not the same as drowning, she says.
The cause of death of the first four victims suggests that they had found an air bubble in the cabin in which five of the victims’ bodies were discovered, and had used up all the oxygen before the air pocket became toxic from carbon dioxide, according to local media.
The autopsies of U.S. attorney Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo, Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Anne Elizabeth Judith Bloomer were performed Wednesday at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Palermo’s Polyclinic Hospital, authorities said.
Autopsies of British tech giant Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter are expected to be carried out on Friday.
No date has yet been set for the autopsy of Recaldo Thomas, the ship’s chief cook, due to the difficulty in contacting his family in Antigua.
All seven victims were examined for injuries last Saturday, and none had fractures or other physical injuries that could have contributed to their deaths.
The prosecutor investigating the case first suggested in early August that the victims were looking for a breather.
The autopsies are part of the criminal investigation into the ship’s captain, James Cutfield, the ship’s engine engineer, Tim Parker Eaton, and seaman Matthew Griffith, who was on watch the night of the accident. None of the men are in Italy.
They are being prosecuted for “multiple homicides” and causing a shipwreck, but authorities say that does not mean they will be charged with any crime. They have been allowed to leave the country by the prosecutor in charge of the investigation.
The 56-metre yacht sank 16 minutes after being hit by a gust of wind or a tornado in the early hours of 19 August. The vessel will need to be refloated for the purposes of the investigation and to ensure that the 18,000 litres of fuel on board do not spill into the sea around the port of Porticello, near Palermo.
Bids have been invited for the salvage, which will be financed by the company of Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, who owns the yacht.
The results of toxicology tests on the seven victims are expected in the coming days. No alcohol or drug tests were carried out on any of the crew members, the prosecutor said at a press conference after the recovery of the bodies of all the victims.
Lynch and his partner Stephen Chamberlain, who died after being hit by a car on the day the Bayesian sank, were acquitted of fraud charges by a US court in June 2024. The charges related to the sale of their company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard, which has said it will not drop its $4 billion civil lawsuit in damages, which is currently being heard by a British court.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of Mike Lynch’s business partner.
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