Heartbreaking new details on where Hannah Lynch's body was found after yacht tragedy

By Jon Brady 09:35 24 Aug 2024, updated 19:40 24 Aug 2024

Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was found alone in her own cabin on board the super-yacht Bayesian after it sank 50 metres below the surface of the Mediterranean, rescue workers have said.

Five others, including her father, were found in a separate compartment on the Bayesian superyacht, fire service commander Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra told reporters at a conference in Termini Imerese, close to the sinking site off Sicily.

The £30million vessel lopped onto its side as it sank - and Mr Fiandra said it became apparent to divers that the victims of the disaster had tried to seek shelter in the higher side of the ship, where there may have been air bubbles, before they died. 

Hannah had been on board the ship with her father and mother as well as other high-profile businessmen and their spouses when the ship was struck by a suspected downburst - a violent downward plume of wind - in the early hours of Monday.

Their bodies were recovered over the course of this week, taking the death toll from the disaster to seven after the ship's cook was found in the water close to the wreck site shortly after the disaster unfolded. Autopsies are yet to take place.

A manslaughter probe has been launched and lead prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said officials had not conducted alcohol and drug tests on the survivors, but said that they would be interviewed to find out exactly why seven lives were lost. 

'We are going to discover how much they knew or to what extent all the people were warned,' he vowed.

It comes as:

• A co-defendant of Mike Lynch was killed within hours of the tech boss dying
• Hannah Lynch's older sister paid tribute to her 'little angel' sibling after her death
• Experts weigh in on how the Bayesian may be retrieved from the depths
• The probe will examine the actions of the yacht's captain and first officer
• The Mail's Robert Hardman recalls the heartbreaking moment Hannah was found

Click here to resize this module

The Bayesian is believed to have sunk at the stern after being upset by a downburst that spread out with force as it hits the ground after being produced in the clouds, before coming to rest on its right-hand side as it capsized. 

Fire chief Mr Fiandra said in remarks reported by Sky News: 'You may want to know where we recovered the bodies of the victims. I can tell you... that the ship sunk and was laid onto its right hand side at the bottom of the sea. 

'It's quite clear that the people were trying to hide in the cabins on the left-hand side and we found the first five bodies in the first cabin on the left-hand side and the final body in the third cabin on the left-hand side.

'There were six cabins: three on the left-hand side and three on the right-hand side. We found them on the highest part of the ship going towards the surface.'

Click here to resize this module

Investigators have so far declined to comment on why five of the dead were found in the same room. Those on the panel said the cabin room they were found in was not theirs.

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed a question of 'negligent shipwreck and multiple negligent manslaughter' had been raised following initial investigations into the sinking on Monday August 19.

However, he stressed to reporters that inquiries remained at an early stage - but appeared to suggest there were questions for the crew of the Bayesian to answer. 

One person had been on watch in the cockpit when disaster struck. They have been interviewed and are not required to remain in Italy - but authorities say they expect them to fully cooperate with the probe.

The yacht's captain, James Cutfield, has already been interviewed by investigators. Prosecutors say they will examine why the crew was able to get to a lifeboat when the passengers couldn't.

Mr Cammarano told the press Mr Cutfield had been 'extremely cooperative' to date. He is likely to be questioned again.

The prosecutor added: 'There are various stages we have to look at in more detail: the behaviours of the crew, the meteorological situation, what the weather was doing at the time, there are all aspects we have to look at.

'The statements made by the crew are fundamental as far as the inquiry is concerned. We can't divulge what they have said as it would be very prejudicial as far as the inquiry is concerned.'

Mr Cartosio later added: 'We can't just deal with this quickly. It's likely there could have been some crimes committed, that it could be manslaughter, but it's a question of who is responsible and we can only do that if you give us time.' 

Prosecutors say they want the Bayesian to be raised from the water so the wreck can be examined but responsibility for this lies with the ship's owners. 

The 185ft British-flagged yacht sank in the early hours of Monday after, investigators believe, it was struck by a downburst, a violent downward plume of wind often mistaken for tornadoes and commonly created during thunderstorms.

The emergency services were alerted shortly after 4.30am - but by the time they had arrived, the ship had already sunk. 

The time taken by rescue services to reach the wreck will also form part of the investigation - though authorities said today the sinking had been extremely rapid.

Click here to resize this module

The crew of a nearby Dutch sailing ship, the Sir Robert BP, were able to send a liferaft to rescue 15 of the 22 people on board. Among the survivors was British woman Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter, who she held aloft in the water.

Mr Cartosio added that it quickly became apparent to those who witnessed the disaster it would be 'impossible' to save those still trapped in the yacht as it sank to the sea bed.

He told reporters: 'The Public Prosecutor's Office of Termini Imerese has registered a file with the state against unknown persons, hypothesising the crimes of negligent shipwreck and multiple negligent manslaughter.'

He added: 'Generally a prosecutor is never satisfied to give this information at this stage, precisely because developments could change. 

'We cannot exclude anything at all but what, there has been a lot of media interest with regards to the people were involved. But at the same time I believe it is right to anticipate developments of this inquiry can be very variable.' 

There had been questions as to why it had taken so long for Italian authorities to inform the public in detail of its rescue operations.

Mr Cartosio told reporters Italian civil codes had prevented him from releasing more information about the search while it took place, highlighting that he personally believed it created 'notable obstacles' to transparency with the public.

However, the press conference was staged because of the major international interest in the disaster - and because of the high-profile identities of the victims.  

The prosecutor added that it would be 'painful' if, theoretically, 'this tragedy, this terrible tragedy, was caused by behaviours that were not perfectly in order with regard to the responsibility that everybody had to have (on) the ship.' 

Hannah and her father Mike Lynch, alongside Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were lost when the yacht sank at around 5am local time on Monday.

The body of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the superyacht, was recovered at the scene of the sinking on Monday. 

Their bodies were taken to the nearby village of Porticello, about 11 miles from Sicilian capital Palermo. 

Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda of the Italian coastguard confirmed Thomas' body was found close to the ship.

Click here to resize this module

Mr Fiandra, the fire service commander, added that it had taken time to find the other bodies because of the complexities of reaching a ship 50 metres below, the size of the yacht itself, and the lack of visibility so far from the surface.

'Over four days to have obtained the result we have obtained? Let's say that represents how professional these divers were,' he said.

There is no timeline for when the yacht may be recovered from the water to assist with the ongoing investigation. 

'We want to be able to recover the wreck in coordination with the prosecutor because there will be inquiries and they have shown the will to recover the wreck,' Rear Admiral Macauda said. 

'We carried out an extraordinary operation and everyone worked in an amazing way. But this is a very sad moment as seven human lives have been lost.'

He later added: 'What of course we wanted to do is save human lives at sea. That's why we carried on with the search from the surface. We were still hoping to find somebody alive.'

Click here to resize this module

The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing vessel deemed 'unsinkable' by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

A total of 27 divers, including 11 cave experts and eight deep sea divers, were called in to aid with the search across 72 total hours of searching underwater across 123 dives. 

Click here to resize this module

In a statement, the family of Mr Lynch and Hannah said: 'The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends.

'Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.

'They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue.

'Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.'

The Lynch family also issued a photograph of Mr Lynch and Hannah alongside their tribute.

Hannah's sister Esme paid her own tribute, saying: 'Hannah often burst into my bedroom and lay down with me.

'Sometimes beaming with a smile, sometimes cheeky, sometimes for advice.

'No matter what, she brought boundless love to me.

'She was endlessly caring, passionately mad, unintentionally hilarious and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me.

'And on top of all this, she had even more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals.

'She is my little angel, my star.'

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, said the search for Hannah was not 'easy or quick', comparing the sunken yacht to an '18-storey building full of water'.

The bodies of all six missing passengers have now been brought to shore in the small fishing village of Porticello, around 11 miles from the Sicilian capital of Palermo.

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat. She owns the yacht through a private company.

The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynch's acquittal in a fraud case in the US.

The businessman, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of carrying out a massive fraud relating to its 11 billion dollar (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.