Everything We Know About the Final Moments of the Passengers Who Died in the Sicily Yacht Tragedy

Mar. 15, 2025

The Bayesian, which sank off of the Italian coast resulting in the deaths of seven people.Photo:PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The luxury yachtBayesianthatsank off the coast of Sicilyon Monday, Aug. 19, resulted in the deaths of six passengers and one crew member.Less than a week later, on Saturday, Aug. 24, Ambrogio Cartosio, the Chief Prosecutor of Termini Imerese, announced that Italian authorities werelaunching a manslaughter investigation into the sinking, and he identified all of the victims.The seven victims who died in the tragic sinking were yacht chef Recaldo Thomas; British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah Lynch;Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda; and Morgan Stanley International chairmanJonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.As authorities attempt to answer questions about what exactly led to the sinking of the 183-foot British-flagged vessel — which went down during a “violent storm,” the Italian Coast Guard previously told PEOPLE in a statement — here is what we currently know about the victims’ final moments.Hannah and Mike Lynch, who died on the Bayesian.FAMILY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockDuring the Aug. 24 press conference, Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra, head of the Palermo Fire Brigade, revealed that as theBayesianbegan going down early Monday morning, “It was quite clear that people were trying to hide in the cabins.”“In the left-hand side, we found the first 5 bodies in the left-hand side cabins, and the final body on the right-hand side,” Fiandra said. “We found them on the highest part of the ship, which was closer to the surface. The vessel had three cabins on each side.”The five victims, who “took refuge” on the luxury yacht’s left side,had been “searching for air pockets"in a final attempt at survival,” he added.Divers searching for the victims of the Bayesian.HANDOUT/Vigili del Fuoco/AFP via GettyAs for why the victims were in the cabins in the first place, Giovanni Costantino — who leads The Italian Sea Group, the company that now owns Perini Navi, which built theBayesianback in 2008 — toldCNNit was due to a “very long sum of errors.““Everything that has been done reveals a very long sum of errors,” he said in his interview, translated from Italian. “The people should not have been in the cabins, the boat should not have been at anchor. And then why didn’t the crew know about the incoming disturbance?”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Prior to the storm and subsequent sinking, some of the luxury yacht’s passengers were in celebration mode. They had been commemorating the recent acquittal of one of the victims, Lynch, 59, a source close to the survivors previously told PEOPLE.Two months ago, Lynchwas acquitted on all counts of a series of fraud and conspiracy chargeshe faced in the U.S. after a years-long legal battle dating back to 2018.Neda and Chris Morvillo.Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via GettyHe celebrated the acquittal on theBayesianwith his daughter and his wife, Angela Bacare, who was rescued along with 14 others on board.Also celebrating were Morvillo, 59, who represented Lynch in the case, and Bloomer, 70, who was a close friend of the tech entrepreneur.

The luxury yachtBayesianthatsank off the coast of Sicilyon Monday, Aug. 19, resulted in the deaths of six passengers and one crew member.

Less than a week later, on Saturday, Aug. 24, Ambrogio Cartosio, the Chief Prosecutor of Termini Imerese, announced that Italian authorities werelaunching a manslaughter investigation into the sinking, and he identified all of the victims.

The seven victims who died in the tragic sinking were yacht chef Recaldo Thomas; British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah Lynch;Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda; and Morgan Stanley International chairmanJonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.

As authorities attempt to answer questions about what exactly led to the sinking of the 183-foot British-flagged vessel — which went down during a “violent storm,” the Italian Coast Guard previously told PEOPLE in a statement — here is what we currently know about the victims’ final moments.

Hannah and Mike Lynch, who died on the Bayesian.FAMILY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

FAMILY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

During the Aug. 24 press conference, Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra, head of the Palermo Fire Brigade, revealed that as theBayesianbegan going down early Monday morning, “It was quite clear that people were trying to hide in the cabins.”

“In the left-hand side, we found the first 5 bodies in the left-hand side cabins, and the final body on the right-hand side,” Fiandra said. “We found them on the highest part of the ship, which was closer to the surface. The vessel had three cabins on each side.”

The five victims, who “took refuge” on the luxury yacht’s left side,had been “searching for air pockets"in a final attempt at survival,” he added.

Divers searching for the victims of the Bayesian.HANDOUT/Vigili del Fuoco/AFP via Getty

HANDOUT/Vigili del Fuoco/AFP via Getty

As for why the victims were in the cabins in the first place, Giovanni Costantino — who leads The Italian Sea Group, the company that now owns Perini Navi, which built theBayesianback in 2008 — toldCNNit was due to a “very long sum of errors.”

“Everything that has been done reveals a very long sum of errors,” he said in his interview, translated from Italian. “The people should not have been in the cabins, the boat should not have been at anchor. And then why didn’t the crew know about the incoming disturbance?”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Prior to the storm and subsequent sinking, some of the luxury yacht’s passengers were in celebration mode. They had been commemorating the recent acquittal of one of the victims, Lynch, 59, a source close to the survivors previously told PEOPLE.

Two months ago, Lynchwas acquitted on all counts of a series of fraud and conspiracy chargeshe faced in the U.S. after a years-long legal battle dating back to 2018.

Neda and Chris Morvillo.Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty

He celebrated the acquittal on theBayesianwith his daughter and his wife, Angela Bacare, who was rescued along with 14 others on board.

Also celebrating were Morvillo, 59, who represented Lynch in the case, and Bloomer, 70, who was a close friend of the tech entrepreneur.

source: people.com