Four of the seven victims aboard the Baysian superyacht, which sank in August, are believed to have died from “dry drowning,” authorities said Thursday.
The luxury superyacht, aboard Baysean, had 12 passengers and 10 crew when it sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm on August 19. Autopsies on the four victims found there was no water in their lungs, trachea or stomach, a spokesman for the yacht's captain said. According to This is known as “atypical drowning” or “dry drowning,” according to CNN.
“Dry drowning” is a condition that has no clear definition or medical recognition, but is used when a person's condition worsens after a drowning rescue or when there is very little water in the lungs, according to a CNN report.
PALERMO, ITALY – AUGUST 19: This screenshot taken from video provided by Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili dei del Fuoco shows an Italian Coast Guard vessel at the scene of a sunken ship in Palermo, Italy, on August 19, 2024. The 50-meter luxury yacht “Basian” sank off the coast of Porticello, Palermo province, Sicily, at approximately 3:00 a.m. GMT with 22 passengers on board, leaving several people missing, including four Britons, two Americans and one Canadian. Italian coast guard and firefighters have evacuated 15 people to safety and rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing. (Photo provided by Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili dei del Fuoco via Getty Images)
PORTICELLO, ITALY – AUGUST 19: A coast guard vessel assists in the search for missing passengers after a yacht capsized off the coast of Palermo, Italy, on August 19, 2024. There were 22 passengers on board the 50-metre yacht “Basian” when it sank off the coast of Porticello, Palermo province, Sicily, at around 3am GMT, leaving several people missing, including four Britons, two Americans and one Canadian. Italian coast guard and firefighters have evacuated 15 people to safety and rescue efforts are ongoing. (Photo by Vincenzo Pepe/Getty Images)
According to local media, the Baysian victim is believed to have discovered an air bubble in one of the cabins, which likely consumed all the oxygen before suffocating with carbon dioxide. (Related article: “Did Jeffrey Epstein have ties to the Clintons?” Lawyer asks Alex Jones about pedophilia. Predictable development.)
The victims are said to be American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Anne Elizabeth Judith Bloomer. Their autopsies were carried out at the Palermo General Hospital's Forensic Medicine Institute.
A criminal investigation into “negligent homicide” is underway and focuses on three people working on the ship – the captain, James Cutfield, mechanic Tim Parker Eaton, and seaman Matthew Griffiths, who was on watch on the night of the incident. Despite the investigation, authorities have said they will not necessarily be charging the three with any crimes.
LONDON, UK – JUNE 27: Mike Lynch, former CEO of Autonomy, leaves the Rolls Building in London, UK on June 27, 2019. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has accused Lynch of accounting fraud at Autonomy, once the UK's second-largest software company. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
LONDON, UK – JUNE 27: Mike Lynch (left), former CEO of Autonomy, leaves the Rolls Building in London, UK on June 27, 2019. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has accused Lynch of accounting fraud at Autonomy, once the UK's second largest software company. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The 183-foot yacht was hit by a downburst, or waterspout, in the early morning hours. (Related: Wild footage shows water tornado devastating small Maryland island town)
British IT tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were also killed in the incident. Their autopsies are due to take place on Friday. Initial reports suggest that none of the victims suffered any physical injuries from the water tornado and subsequent sinking.
Lynch's business partner, Stephen Chamberlain, died the same day the Bayesian was hit by a car and sank. The pair were acquitted in the United States in June of fraud charges related to the sale of their company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard. The company is currently suing Autonomy in a British court for $4 billion in damages.
