Family and Friends Remember Victims of the Sicily Yacht Tragedy 3 Months Later: ‘Why Do People Die Young?'

Mar. 15, 2025

Susahnnah Gurdon, a friend of the Lynch family.Photo:ABC

ABC

Friends and family of the victims who died whenthe superyachtBayesiansankoff the coast of Italy are remembering their loved ones — and still seeking answers — three months after the tragedy shocked the world.

Seven people died on the morning of Aug. 19 after the superyacht encountered severe weather near the fishing port of Porticello and capsized.

The 12 passengers aboard theBayesianbefore it sank were celebrating two momentous occasions, according toImpact X Nightline’s Gone In 16 Minutes: Sinking of The Superyacht, which premiered Thursday, Nov. 14, exclusively on Hulu: Mike’s recent acquittal of fraud charges, and Hannah’s plans to attend Oxford University in the fall.

But soon, the celebration turned to tragedy when a downburst, not a tornado, impacted the small fishing community whereBayesianwas anchored. Fifteen people of the 22 people onboard were able to escape, while the seven others perished.

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The victims were identified as yacht chef Recaldo Thomas; British tech entrepreneurMike Lynchand his daughter,Hannah Lynch;Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda; and Morgan Stanley International chairmanJonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.

“Why do people die young, like Hannah? Why does somebody get cut off in the prime of life, like Mike? Those [are] sort of big ‘why’ questions [and] life questions,” said Susannah Gurdon, a friend of the Lynch family. “And then there are sort of the nitty-gritty. Why did the boat go down? Why were they trapped?”

Divers of the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian Corps. of Firefighters enter Porticello harbor near Palermo, with the body of Hannah Lynch, the last missing person at the back of the boat.ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty

ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty

Born into a family of Irish immigrants, Mike worked mopping floors before attending Cambridge University as a young man, according toImpact X Nightline.

Reid Weingarten, one of Mike’s defense attorneys, described the British tech mogul as an “extraordinarily smart” man known to many as the “the grandfather of AI,” having launched the company Autonomy in 1996.

“You could meet him and you could think you were meeting somebody who was a perfectly ordinary individual,” said Patrick Jacob, a friend of the Lynch family. “When you actually, though, talk to him and you begin to realize he was very, very far from being ordinary.”

Mike was admittedly looking forward to starting a new life after his acquittal in June, two months before theBayesiantragedy that also killed his daughter Hannah.

Danny Fortson — who interviewed Lynch after his acquittal forThe Sunday Times—previously told PEOPLEMike was “obviously incredibly grateful and happy” after his sudden change in fortune, but was still “struggling to accept” his new reality.

“Given his age and some health issues, he was very clear that he would probably die in prison in America," the journalist explained.

Mike Lynch, former chief executive officer of Autonomy Corp., a unit of Hewlett-Packard Co., and founder of Invoke Capital Partners, poses for a photograph in London, U.K., on Tuesday, July 8, 2014.Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty

Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty

Hannah was a young poet and lover of literature, according toImpact X Nightline. Her friend Marko Kresojevic said she “was happy to be the best at something” but always wanted “other people to be the best in their own way.”

“There are so many hyper-intelligent and successful people who get where they are because they push other people down, but that wasn’t Hannah at all,” Kresojevic explained.

“She planned to live life without worrying about where she would end up, only that she did all the things she ever wanted to, and that she lived unabashedly and in a self-sacrificing manner,” Kresojevic toldImpact X Nightline.

Also on the superyacht were Chris, one of Mike’s attorneys, and his wife Neda. The two met in law school and bonded over their love of traveling and wine, according to Chris’ brother Greg Morvillo.

“When we would get together, they would be sitting together,” Greg toldImpact X Nightline. “His arm would be around her. They would hold hands.”

Chris had to convince Neda to join him for the trip on the Bayesian, Greg said. “Neda liked to travel, but Neda also liked to be at home,” Chris’ brother explained, “and she didn’t want to be away from her family.”

After learning of his brother and sister-in-law’s tragic deaths, Greg is following through with an old promise he made to his now-late brother: protect his children.

“They’re old enough that they don’t need a guardian, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to be there for whatever they need,” Greg explained. “So that’s where my focus is.”

Ed O’Callaghan, a former Justice Department official and close friend of the attorney,previously told PEOPLEthat Morvillo, 59, hoped to spend time with his wife, 57, and two adult daughters, Sabrina and Sophia Morvillo.

“He missed a lot,” O’Callaghan says. “He was just buried in putting together the defense for Lynch. And I think he really thought the near future was going to be a lot of wonderful payback time with the family.”

Neda Morvillo and Chris Morvillo attend Summer Birthday Cocktails For Lawrence Kaplan at Tower 270 - Rooftop on June 21, 2018 in New York City.Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty

“Why did they get off the ship and six people were left behind? I don’t know the answer to that. Was there a problem with the design of the ship? People have speculated, I don’t know the answer to that,” Chris' brother toldImpact X Nightline.

source: people.com