Family and Friends Remember Victims of the Sicily Yacht Tragedy 3 Months Later: ‘Why Do People Die Young?'

Loved ones are still seeking answers to their many questions about the tragedy, which killed seven people in August

ABC Susahnnah Gurdon, a friend of the Lynch family

ABC

Susahnnah Gurdon, a friend of the Lynch family
  • Loved ones of the seven people who died when the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Italy in August still have questions about what caused the deadly incident

  • "Was there a problem with the design of the ship? People have speculated, I don’t know the answer to that," victim Christopher Morvillo's brother told Impact X Nightline

  • Three months after the tragedy, authorities have still not determined key elements in the case

Friends and family of the victims who died when the superyacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Italy are remembering their loved ones — and still seeking answers — three months after the tragedy shocked the world.

Seven people died on the morning of Aug. 19 after the superyacht encountered severe weather near the fishing port of Porticello and capsized.

The 12 passengers aboard the Bayesian before it sank were celebrating two momentous occasions, according to Impact X Nightline’s Gone In 16 Minutes: Sinking of The Superyacht, which premiered Thursday, Nov. 14, exclusively on Hulu: Mike’s recent acquittal of fraud charges, and Hannah’s plans to attend Oxford University in the fall.

But soon, the celebration turned to tragedy when a downburst, not a tornado, impacted the small fishing community where Bayesian was anchored. Fifteen people of the 22 people onboard were able to escape, while the seven others perished.

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The victims were identified as yacht chef Recaldo Thomas; British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, Hannah Lynch; Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda; and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.

“Why do people die young, like Hannah? Why does somebody get cut off in the prime of life, like Mike? Those [are] sort of big ‘why’ questions [and] life questions,” said Susannah Gurdon, a friend of the Lynch family. “And then there are sort of the nitty-gritty. Why did the boat go down? Why were they trapped?”

ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty Divers of the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian Corps. of Firefighters enter Porticello harbor near Palermo, with the body of Hannah Lynch, the last missing person at the back of the boat

ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty

Divers of the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian Corps. of Firefighters enter Porticello harbor near Palermo, with the body of Hannah Lynch, the last missing person at the back of the boat

Born into a family of Irish immigrants, Mike worked mopping floors before attending Cambridge University as a young man, according to Impact X Nightline.

Reid Weingarten, one of Mike’s defense attorneys, described the British tech mogul as an “extraordinarily smart” man known to many as the “the grandfather of AI,” having launched the company Autonomy in 1996.

“You could meet him and you could think you were meeting somebody who was a perfectly ordinary individual,” said Patrick Jacob, a friend of the Lynch family. “When you actually, though, talk to him and you begin to realize he was very, very far from being ordinary.”

Related: What Happened When the Bayesian Sank? New Details Emerge About How the ‘Unsinkable’ Yacht Capsized

Mike was admittedly looking forward to starting a new life after his acquittal in June, two months before the Bayesian tragedy that also killed his daughter Hannah.

Danny Fortson — who interviewed Lynch after his acquittal for The Sunday Times — previously told PEOPLE Mike was "obviously incredibly grateful and happy" after his sudden change in fortune, but was still "struggling to accept" his new reality.

“Given his age and some health issues, he was very clear that he would probably die in prison in America," the journalist explained.

Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Mike Lynch, former chief executive officer of Autonomy Corp., a unit of Hewlett-Packard Co., and founder of Invoke Capital Partners, poses for a photograph in London, U.K., on Tuesday, July 8, 2014.

Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty

Mike Lynch, former chief executive officer of Autonomy Corp., a unit of Hewlett-Packard Co., and founder of Invoke Capital Partners, poses for a photograph in London, U.K., on Tuesday, July 8, 2014.

Related: Below Deck Captain Doesn't Believe Conspiracies About How Bayesian Sank, Offers His Insight into Tragedy

Hannah was a young poet and lover of literature, according to Impact X Nightline. Her friend Marko Kresojevic said she “was happy to be the best at something” but always wanted “other people to be the best in their own way.”

“There are so many hyper-intelligent and successful people who get where they are because they push other people down, but that wasn’t Hannah at all,” Kresojevic explained.

Kresojevic hopes to keep Hannah’s memory alive “by living the way she lived, which was to the absolute fullest.” He believed Hannah “lived three times the lifetimes that most people were living.”

“She planned to live life without worrying about where she would end up, only that she did all the things she ever wanted to, and that she lived unabashedly and in a self-sacrificing manner,” Kresojevic told Impact X Nightline.

ABC

ABC

Also on the superyacht were Chris, one of Mike’s attorneys, and his wife Neda. The two met in law school and bonded over their love of traveling and wine, according to Chris’ brother Greg Morvillo.

“When we would get together, they would be sitting together,” Greg told Impact X Nightline. “His arm would be around her. They would hold hands.”

Chris had to convince Neda to join him for the trip on the Bayesian, Greg said. “Neda liked to travel, but Neda also liked to be at home,” Chris’ brother explained, “and she didn’t want to be away from her family.”

Related: Brother of Sicily Yacht Sinking Victim Still Thinks About the Passengers' Final Moments: ‘It’s Terrifying’ (Exclusive)

After learning of his brother and sister-in-law’s tragic deaths, Greg is following through with an old promise he made to his now-late brother: protect his children.

“They’re old enough that they don’t need a guardian, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to be there for whatever they need,” Greg explained. “So that’s where my focus is.”

Ed O’Callaghan, a former Justice Department official and close friend of the attorney, previously told PEOPLE that Morvillo, 59, hoped to spend time with his wife, 57, and two adult daughters, Sabrina and Sophia Morvillo.

“He missed a lot,” O’Callaghan says. “He was just buried in putting together the defense for Lynch. And I think he really thought the near future was going to be a lot of wonderful payback time with the family.”

Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty  Neda Morvillo and Chris Morvillo attend Summer Birthday Cocktails For Lawrence Kaplan at Tower 270 - Rooftop on June 21, 2018 in New York City.

Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Neda Morvillo and Chris Morvillo attend Summer Birthday Cocktails For Lawrence Kaplan at Tower 270 - Rooftop on June 21, 2018 in New York City.

Related: Yacht Sank in Sicily Due to ‘Endless Chain of Errors,' Ship Maker's Owner Speculates: ‘Everything Was Predictable’

Authorities have still not determined key elements in the case, including if the keel (an underwater blade designed to help keep boats upright and prevent them from swaying back and forth) was in the proper position and whether doors or hatches were open that could have allowed water to rush in.

"Why did they get off the ship and six people were left behind? I don’t know the answer to that. Was there a problem with the design of the ship? People have speculated, I don’t know the answer to that," Chris' brother told Impact X Nightline.