Report: British tycoon Mike Lynch probably died of suffocation on his yacht

Mike Lynch's family yacht sank off the coast of Sicily last month. (File

Rome:

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch died of suffocation because he ran out of oxygen, an investigative source said, citing initial examinations carried out on Saturday after his body was recovered from the family yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily last month.

Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, a cook on board and four guests died when the British-flagged superyacht Bayesian sank off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, on August 19 during a severe and sudden weather event.

The initial results of the examination of Hannah Lynch's body on Saturday were inconclusive, the source told Reuters. The only cause of death that could be ruled out was trauma or wounds. However, the possibility remains that she either ran out of oxygen or drowned.

The bodies of the dead, except for the cook, were found in cabins on the left side of the 56-meter-long ship, where trapped passengers may have tried to search for remaining air bubbles, the head of Palermo's fire department said last month.

Preliminary results from autopsies of four other victims – Morgan Stanley International CEO Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda – indicated asphyxiation as the likely cause of death, justice sources said earlier this week.

Fifteen people survived, including Lynch's wife, whose company owned the Bayesian, and the yacht's captain.

Initial examinations of the Canadian-Antiguan ship's cook Recaldo Thomas indicated that he drowned, the investigative source said on Saturday.

Further forensic examinations have been ordered for all victims and the results are expected in the next few weeks, the source said.

The sinking has puzzled marine experts. They believe that a ship like the Bayesian, which was built by luxury yacht manufacturer Perini, which in turn belongs to the Italian Sea Group, should have withstood the storm and would not have sunk so quickly.

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