What caused the Bayesian to sink? How tragedy that killed seven people unfolded in just 16 minutes
A year has passed since a British superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily in 16 minutes, killing seven people including tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.
The 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian sank off the coast of the Italian island on 19 August, 2024.
The boat’s manufacturers, Italian prosecutors, British marine investigators and survivors have all made different claims about why the boat sank so suddenly.
The boat’s captain and two crew members are currently under investigation for manslaughter.
The Independent looks at everything we know about the incident and how the boat may have sank.
The Bayesian sank off the coast of the Sicilian capital of Palermo in Italy in the early hours of 19 August last year, after it was hit by unexpected extreme weather. It took just 16 minutes to sink.
There were 22 people on board and seven were killed, including Mr Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah.
A coastguard official in Palermo said at the time that bad weather had been expected but not of the magnitude witnessed. Winds of up to 90mph were recorded on the day.
Subsequent investigations have identified that the boat was hit by a mesocyclone, which is a type of powerful rotating thunderstorm that can produce tornadoes or extreme wind bursts.
Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals.
Sicilian prosecutors opened an inquiry into suspected manslaughter and have placed the captain James Cutfield, from New Zealand, and two British crew members, Tim Parker Eaton and Matthew Griffiths, under investigation.
Experts have claimed that hatches and doors were left open overnight by the crew, causing the boat to sink.
An interim report released by Italian coastguards sought to blame Mr Cutfield and the crew for the sinking.
A spokesperson for the family of Recaldo Thomas, a cook on the yacht who also died, accused the crew of making “questionable decisions” when the wife of Mr Lynch, Angela Bacares, was up on the deck.
