Last minutes of superyacht victims revealed

Harrowing details have been revealed about the final moments of the Bayesian superyacht victims and the troubling way they perished.

WARNING: Distressing details

The last agonising moments of four of those who died when the Bayesian superyacht went down off the coast of Italy last month have been revealed.

According to Italian reports, the passengers did not die of classic water drowning and could have remained alive for several minutes as the boat sank while they were “fighting for every molecule of oxygen”.

The $A27 million vessel was caught up in a storm off the coast of northern Sicily on August 19, capsizing and sinking to the sea floor.

Chairman of Morgan Stanley International Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer who died in the tragedy. (Photo by FAMILY HANDOUT / AFP)

The Bayesian was owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch who had recently been acquitted of US fraud charges.

Of the 22 people on board, mostly friends of Mr Lynch and the boat’s crew, 15 survived.

The bodies of six of the seven who died were found in cabins.

Italian media agency ANSA has reported that post-mortem examinations have now been concluded into four of those who perished: Morgan Stanley finance firm executive Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah Lynch died on the yacht. Picture: AFP

The Bayesian was a 56 metre long vessel. Picture: Supplied

‘Dry drowning’

The Institute of Forensic Medicine in Palermo found no water in the lungs of the four indicating they did not drown.

The group were found in a cabin which likely acted as a temporary air pocket. But as the oxygen supply diminished the air would have been replaced with carbon dioxide meaning the four would have eventually succumbed to suffocation.

Divers found the bodies on the left side of the cabin, the report said, suggesting they were seeking the last vestiges of air as the vessel tilted to the right.

There were no signs of injuries among the four.

“Forensic doctors have determined that it was a ‘death by confinement,’” reported Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

“The so-called ‘dry drowning’ is an aspect that supports the hypothesis that the six found in the wreck were awake … but did not have the opportunity to reach the upper deck and remained trapped in the cabin area”.

Dry drowning is not a medical term but is sometimes used to describe a situation when the airway spasms and closes preventing air - and indeed water - from reaching the lungs.

Divers helping in the search of the vessel. Photo: AFP

‘Fought for the last molecule of oxygen’

“For the seven victims of the Bayesian, it would have been enough to reach the main deck to save themselves,” the newspaper continued.

“Instead, they were left with no way out, they fought for the last molecule of oxygen.”

It’s been speculated that Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Becares, who survived, may have been awake and alerted the group to the stricken boat’s condition but was unable to save them.

The post mortem examination of Mr Lynch, his daughter Hannah and the boat’s chef Recaldo Thomas, will begin this week.

An investigation into suspected manslaughter has now been opened by Italian prosecutors.

The Bayesian’s captain James Cutfield, ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are all under investigation. None of them have been charged and criminal charges may not eventuate.

Mr Griffith is understood to have been on watch duty the night of the tragedy, while Mr Parker Eaton is suspected of having failed to protect the vessel’s engine room and operating systems when it was hit by a storm in the early hours of August 19.

Reports suggest crew bedrooms have been searched, with at least two phones seized.