- Cause of death still under investigation
- Mike Lynch confirmed drowned in yacht sinking
- Inquiry adjourned until April next year
The cause of death for three more British casualties who died when the vessel sank off the coast of Sicily is still being investigated.
Following the Bayesian superyacht catastrophe, IT tycoon Mike Lynch died from drowning, according to an inquiry.
The 59-year-old businessman, who created software giant Autonomy in 1996, was one of seven persons killed when the boat sank off the coast of Sicily in August.
An inquest into his death, as well as those of three other British victims, including his daughter Hannah Lynch, 18, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his 71-year-old wife Judy Bloomer, has been started and adjourned at Suffolk Coroner’s Court in Ipswich.
Suffolk Police Detective Superintendent Michael Brown stated that the provisional cause of death for Mr Lynch was drowning. In contrast, the causes of death for the other three are still being investigated.
He stated that additional testing was required to determine their cause of death, which is not uncommon following an initial post-mortem in Italy, which is akin to a Home Office post-mortem in the United Kingdom.
Mr Lynch and his daughter lived in London, while the Bloomers resided in Sevenoaks, Kent.
The boat voyage celebrated Mr Lynch’s acquittal in a June US trial on claims that he committed enormous fraud in the 2011 sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP).
There were 22 people on board, including his wife, Angela Bacares, who was one of the 15 people rescued after the vessel sank during a fierce storm.
Take a step towards financial freedom – claim your free Webull shares now!
The accident also claimed the lives of US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, as well as Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, a chef on the vessel.
The date and time of death for all four British casualties was recorded as 5 am on August 19, after being “lost at sea” following the sinking of the Bayesian around 0.8 nautical miles off the coast of the fishing village of Porticello.
According to the inquiry, the British-flagged yacht “sank rapidly” between 4.15 am and 4.45 ama.m. and 4.45 am for unknown reasons.
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation, while Italian officials have begun their criminal investigation.
Suffolk’s chief coroner, Nigel Parsley, postponed the inquiry until April 15 of next year.
