British tech billionaire Mike Lynch drowned in £30m Bayesian yacht disaster, but inquest finds cause of death of his daughter Hannah remains under investigation
Inquiries have been opened into the deaths of tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, who died when the £30million yacht they were holidaying on sank in a freak storm.
Mr Lynch, 59, and Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sank in August, including Morgan Stanley International president Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy.
Inquiries into the deaths of all four were opened by the Suffolk Coroner in Ipswich and Mr Lynch lived at nearby Loudham Hall on Wickham Market.
They died after the 56-metre yacht, with its distinctive 75-metre mast, sank in just 16 minutes on August 19 off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village on the coast of the Italian island of Sicily.
Fifteen people – including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares – survived the tragedy – along with fourteen others. The tragedy happened just months after he was acquitted by a US court of multibillion-dollar fraud involving software giant Hewlett Packard.
Mr Lynch, 59, and Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sank in August
A handout photo made available by the Perini Navi Press Office on August 19 shows the ‘Bayesian’ sailboat in Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Autopsies conducted on Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy reveal they ‘suffocated’ in a bubble and did not drown, reports claim
The yacht’s skipper, New Zealander James Cutfield, 51, and the British duo, chief engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 59, and watchman Matthew Griffiths, 22, are all under formal investigation for multiple manslaughter and causing a disaster .
Hannah, who was due to start a degree at Oxford University this year, was the last of the seven to be found four days after the sinking, her body hidden behind a mattress below deck.
Coroner Nigel Parsley was told by DS Mike Brown of Suffolk Police that the yacht had ‘sunk rapidly for reasons yet to be determined’ and that Mr Lynch’s body was found on August 22, and Hannah’s the following day .
DS Brown revealed that an autopsy in Italy found Hannah’s cause of death was ‘under investigation’, while Mr Lynch died from drowning and both bodies were identified by Bayesian crew members.
The cause of Sevenoaks was based on Mr Bloomer’s death and that of his wife Judy is also said to be ‘under investigation’.
The first autopsies were performed on attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda (both pictured) were also found to have no water in their lungs in an autopsy performed earlier this week.
Recaldo Thomas, chef on the Bayesian, was the first person recovered after the yacht sank
Search teams at the site of the Bayesian sinker as they prepared to continue their search for Hannah Lynch on August 23
Italian reports have said the three may have been trapped in an air pocket and suffocated rather than drowned because no water was found in their lungs, but the inquest heard no evidence of this.
The time of death for all four was given at 5am on August 19, less than an hour after the yacht was hit by the freak storm known as a downburst with ten guests and twelve crew on board.
When asked for further explanation, coroner Supt Brown said ‘further tests were required’ to determine the cause of death and that this was ‘not unusual’ in such circumstances.
Chief Inspector Brown said that as the Bayesian was British registered, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch was also investigating the sinking and Italian authorities had initiated a criminal case.
Mr Parsley described the four deaths as ‘very sad’ and adjourned the hearing until April 15, 2025 for ‘further investigation’.
