According to judicial sources, the initial examinations conducted on four of those who died when British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s family yacht sank in Sicily last month showed that they had suffocated as the oxygen on board the vessel ran out.

Lynch, his daughter Hannah and four other guests were killed when the Bayesian (a British-flagged 56-metre superyacht) sank on August 19, during a sudden and severe weather event near Porticello.

The autopsy results of four victims - Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his spouse Judith, attorney Chris Morvillo, and his wife Neda – suggest that they died by suffocation after being trapped on board the ship.

Sources said that more forensic tests had been ordered and results are expected in the next few weeks.

They added that the examination of Lynch's daughter and her body would begin on Thursday.

Last month, the chief of Palermo Fire Brigade stated that the bodies of all the deceased, except the cook, had been found in cabins to the left of the boat where passengers might have searched for bubbles of remaining air.

The Italian authorities have opened an investigation into the possible manslaughter of James Cutfield and the crew members Tim Parker Eaton, Matthew Griffiths, as well as the potential shipwreck.

An investigation does not necessarily imply guilt or that formal charges will be filed.

According to Italian news agency Ansa, Griffiths, who had been on duty at the time of the disaster and was on watch duty, told investigators that crew members tried to save as many people on board the Bayesian as they could, in comments made last week.

Naval experts have been puzzled by the sinking. They said that a vessel such as the Bayesian built by Perini - a high end yacht manufacturer owned The Italian Sea Group - should have survived the storm, and in any event, shouldn't have sunk so quickly. Reporting by Wladimiro Panttaleone, Writing by Keith Weir and Editing by Alvise Armellini and Angus MacSwan

(source: Reuters)