New twist in billionaire Bayesian yacht tragedy as investigators say it 'was not caused by storm'

Investigators probing the deadly sinking of Mike Lynch's superyacht off the coast of Sicily no longer believe a storm was the source of the tragedy.

The tech tycoon, 59, died alongside his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others in August 2024 when his £30million boat named Bayesian capsized in the early hours.

CCTV footage captured the moment that the vessel vanished 'in just sixty seconds' as a storm rolled in near Palermo and subsequently wreaked havoc on the 184ft yacht.

Lynch was onboard with 11 guests - including his wife Angela Bacares, who was rescued - and 10 crew members when horror struck at around 5am in the morning.

Experts appointed by Italian prosecutors have been investigating the circumstances which led to the sinking for nearly two years.

An interim report that was previously published by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch in May 2025 that 'hurricane force winds' in the area that night were 'sufficient to knock Bayesian over'.

Lynch was among the seven fatalities (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Explaining that the vessel was also 'vulnerable' to toppling, it added: "These vulnerabilities (when in the motoring condition with sails lowered, the centreboard raised and 10% consumables on board) were not identified in the stability information book carried on board. Consequently, these vulnerabilities were also unknown to either the owner or the crew of Bayesian."

Now, a new report discussing experts findings has cast doubt on the idea that the storm was solely responsible for the disaster.

Investigators were tasked with determining the intensity of the weather on that fateful evening and discovered that the crew should have been able to cope with it.

According to Sky News, the probe which remains ongoing found that the it was a 'little more than a squall, a sudden increase in wind speed that precedes thunderstorms and downpours'.

It is said that the yacht therefore sunk due to the crew's 'improper actions, their underestimation of the weather, and certain safety devices not being activated properly'.

The Bayesian should have been able to handle the powerful weather, the report says (TMC Marine/PA Wire)

In wake of the report, prosecutors in Italy are reportedly weighing up the possibility of alleged crimes being committed.

This includes multiple counts of manslaughter in relation to the captain of the yacht and two of its crew, as well as negligent shipwreck.

It has been suggested that the builder of the superyacht could also possibly be liable, Sky News reported.

Lynch was the co-founder of software firm Autonomy Corporation and the founder of Invoke Capital.

The fatal boat trip had been intended as a celebration of his recent acquittal in a fraud case in the US at the time. Lynch had been cleared of allegations of fraud involved in the multi-billion dollar sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett Packard.

After months of efforts, the wreckage of the Bayesian was retrieved in June last year.