British billionaire Mike Lynch's superyacht sank because it was vulnerable to wind, an interim report has revealed.
The 180ft Bayesian yacht was knocked over by "extreme wind" off Sicily last year and could not recover, according to investigators from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch.
The disaster claimed seven lives, including British tech tycoon Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.
The report indicated that the yacht had a "vulnerability" to lighter winds, but noted the owner and crew would not have been aware of this risk.
According to the findings, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70 degrees, the situation became "irrecoverable".
Mike Lynch's Bayesian yacht was knocked over by 'extreme wind' off Sicily last year and could not recover
REUTERS
Eerie CCTV footage from the sinking showed how the superyacht slipped out of sight in a matter of seconds
REUTERS
The interim report stated that the "extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over".
Investigators have faced challenges in their examination, noting they had "limited verified evidence" as the criminal investigation in Italy had restricted their access to the vessel.
The full circumstances of the disaster are still being pieced together as the probe continues.
Andrew Moll, the MAIB's chief inspector of marine accidents, said: "The findings indicate that the extreme wind experienced by Bayesian was sufficient to knock the yacht over.
THE BAYESIAN YACHT DISASTER - AS IT HAPPENED:
- British tycoon and daughter missing as UK-flagged vessel carrying tourists SINKS off Italian coast after being hit by tornado
- Italian coastguard give grim verdict on finding Mike Lynch and other yacht passengers alive after four more bodies found in sunken wreckage
- Captain of Bayesian superyacht 'under investigation for manslaughter' after sinking tragedy killed seven
- Mike Lynch: Friend speaks out on 'awful' superyacht sinking as tycoon hailed as 'strong and determined'
The report indicated that the 180ft superyacht had a 'vulnerability' to lighter winds
PERINI NAVI
"Further, once the yacht had heeled beyond an angle of 70° the situation was irrecoverable.
"The results will be refined as the investigation proceeds, and more information becomes available."
The report also detailed how five people were injured "either by falling or from things falling on them", while a deck hand was "thrown into the sea".
Two guests managed to escape their cabin by using furniture drawers "as an improvised ladder".
PICTURED: A body bag is brought ashore at the harbour in Porticello by rescue workers on the fifth day of the search and recovery operation for the Bayesian
PA
The Bayesian's skipper instructed guests and crew on deck to "swim clear of the mast and boom as the vessel was sinking", while some survivors later made their way onto a life raft.
They were eventually rescued by a small boat dispatched by the yacht Sir Robert Baden Powell, which was anchored nearby.
Following the incident, a search was conducted at the accident site.
Local authorities subsequently recovered all the bodies of those who died in the tragedy.
