A New York City lawyer and his wife, who were among the seven who died in the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht last month off the coast of Sicily, passed away as a result of drowning, autopsies have revealed.
The causes of death for Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda were confirmed by coroners in Italy, as autopsies are planned Wednesday on the bodies of Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife, Judy, according to The Associated Press.
The Bayesian had 22 people on board – 12 passengers and 10 crew – when it capsized and sank within minutes of being hit by a predawn storm on Aug. 19. Civil protection officials said they believe the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, near the port of Porticello, where the yacht was anchored.
Autopsies are pending for British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch – who had organized the yacht trip to celebrate a recent legal victory – as well as his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and the yacht’s cook, Recaldo Thomas.
LUXURY YACHT CAPTAIN FACES MANSLAUGHTER INVESTIGATION AFTER DEATHS OF BRITISH TECH MOGUL, 6 OTHERS
The Bayesian yacht seen in Gibraltar in 2021. (@dannywheelz/TMX)
Morvillo was one of Lynch’s U.S. lawyers in a fraud case involving the 2011 sale of search engine company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in an $11 billion deal that turned sour over allegations that Lynch had cooked the books to overvalue Autonomy, the AP reported. He was acquitted in June.
YACHT MAKER SAYS ‘INDESCRIBABLE’ CREW ERRORS LED TO FATAL SICILY SHIPWRECK
Neda Morvillo and Chris Morvillo are seen in New York City in 2018. Autopsies say the couple drowned after the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of southern Italy last month. (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Prosecutors also reportedly are investigating the captain and two crew members for possible responsibility in connection with the sinking. Fifteen people, including Lynch’s wife, were rescued from the 184-foot British-flagged luxury yacht.
The CEO of a manufacturing company responsible for building the yacht has blamed a series of “indescribable, unreasonable errors” by the crew for the vessel’s demise.
Italian firefighter divers work at the site where the Bayesian sank in Porticello, Sicily, southern Italy, on Aug. 22. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)
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Giovanni Costantino told Reuters that the yacht’s crew made an “incredible mistake” of not being ready for the storm, which was included in shipping forecasts. The passengers should have been called out of their cabins and ordered to assemble at a safety point as the ship was preparing for the storm by taking measures such as pulling up the anchor, the CEO said.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.