Haunting footage shows inside doomed superyacht for first time
Chilling footage of divers exploring the doomed Bayesian superyacht has been released for the first time, two months after it tragically sank off the coast of Porticello, Sicily. The video shows a team of divers investigating the remains of the £30 million luxury yacht that claimed seven lives on August 19.
The divers are seen holding onto a rope as they descend into the water and make their way to the wreckage site, which lies 160ft beneath the surface. They then swim through an opening and drift down ghostly corridors, through hatches and into the rooms of the yacht, which is resting on its starboard side on the seabed.
The footage was broadcast by Italian investigative TV show Quarta Repubblica on Monday, October 14. It comes just weeks after inquests opened into the deaths of four of the seven victims, including tech billionaire Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, Morgan Stanley International Chief Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.
Hannah, who was set to begin her studies at Oxford University this month, was the last victim to be found, her body discovered four days after the yacht sank, hidden behind a mattress below deck.
Mr Lynch, who was recently acquitted of a multi-million fraud case against Hewlett Packard, is reported to have drowned, according to Suffolk Coroners court. However, the cause of death for his daughter and the two other victims remains unconfirmed, with Italian media speculating that they may have survived briefly in an air pocket before suffocating, the Mirror[3] has reported.
Prosecutors investigating the sinking believe the yacht, Bayesian, was “engulfed by a wall of water” during a freak storm, causing it to sink. Leaked details from the preliminary report suggest the yacht was overwhelmed by water pouring over the main deck and down the spiral staircase into the lower levels.
Investigators are also examining whether the Bayesian’s 75m mast could have contributed to the disaster, as it reportedly tilted “45 degrees, before tilting a full 90 degrees” and sinking. At the time of the tragedy, wind speeds were measured at around 60mph, with investigators quoted in the preliminary report saying: “[The Bayesian] had the entire port side exposed to gusts and waves. With such a tall mast the sail effect was decisive in making it tilt.”
Investigators are honing in on “human error” as a key factor, particularly questioning why the engines weren’t activated and the yacht’s bow wasn’t turned into the wind to mitigate the storm’s downburst impact. This led to the Bayesian drifting 400 metres, slowly tilting and allowing seawater to flood over the decks and into the cabins, where six of the seven victims were discovered.
The Bayesian now rests on the seabed, encircled by a permanent coastguard security cordon, with plans to salvage the vessel in the forthcoming weeks. Fifteen individuals, including Mr Lynch’s spouse Angela Bacares, survived the calamity.
New Zealand captain James Cutfield, aged 51, British chief engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 59, and watchman Matthew Griffiths, 22, are under formal investigation for multiple manslaughter and causing a disaster. Detective Superintendent Mike Brown from Suffolk Police has stated that since the Bayesian was registered in Britain, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch is also probing the sinking, while Italian authorities have initiated a criminal case.
At the inquest, the time of death for Mike Lynch, Hannah, and Jonathan and Judy Bloomer was recorded as 5am on August 19, barely an hour after the yacht succumbed to the freak storm. Coroner Nigel Parsley termed the four fatalities as “very sad” and postponed the proceedings until April 15, 2025, pending “further investigations.”
References
- ^ Couple want to give you £150 to name their new baby (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Scary picture shows M5 lorry ‘heading straight for oncoming cars’ (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ the Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)