Initial autopsies on four of the seven victims of the superyacht Bayesian sinking in Italy last month have revealed that they died of “dry drowning,” a phenomenon also known as “atypical drowning,” CNN reports.
The victims, American lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo, Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer, and his wife Anne Elizabeth Judith Bloomer, were discovered in a cabin with no water in their lungs, tracheas, or stomachs.
This finding suggests the victims may have found an air bubble in the cabin, which subsequently became toxic due to carbon dioxide as they consumed all the oxygen. The remaining three victims, British tech titan Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, and the ship’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, are undergoing autopsies this week.
The autopsies are part of the ongoing criminal investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian, which occurred on August 19 after a sudden downburst or tornado struck the vessel. The ship sank within 16 minutes, leaving all seven passengers and the crew trapped.
The probe focuses on Captain James Cutfield, the ship’s machine engineer Tim Parker Eaton, and sailor Matthew Griffith, who was on watch the night of the accident. While all three men have been investigated for “multiple manslaughter” and causing a shipwreck, they have not been charged with any crimes.
The prosecutor investigating the case has allowed the three men to leave Italy.
The 56-meter yacht will be salvaged to prevent the 18,000 liters of fuel on board from leaking into the sea. The cost of the salvage operation will be borne by the company owned by Angela Bacares, the wife of Mike Lynch.
Toxicology results on all seven victims are expected in the coming days. The prosecutor has confirmed that no alcohol or drug tests were conducted on any of the crew members.
