Italian prosecutor begins manslaughter investigation into sinking of yacht

British software billionaire Mike Lynch and six other guests perished last week near Sicily when a luxury boat capsized in rough seas, and an Italian prosecutor has launched a manslaughter probe into their deaths.

The boat had been struck by an extremely quick weather occurrence, yet it was “plausible” that multiple manslaughter and creating a shipwreck by carelessness had been committed, according to Ambrogio Cartosio, head of the public prosecutor’s office in Termini Imerese.

He said at a press conference that the inquiry has not yet targeted any specific individuals.

One among the victims of the Bayesian family’s 56-meter (184-foot) vessel capsizing on Monday amid a strong pre-dawn storm off Porticello, near Palermo, was Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of the owners.

Lynch’s wife, whose firm owned the Bayesian, and the skipper of the boat were among the fifteen survivors.

“If the investigation reveals that the disaster was caused by behaviors that were not aligned to the responsibilities that everyone needs to take in shipping, then the pain will be even greater,” Cartosio added.

Authorities have questioned James Cutfield, the captain, and the other survivors this week. The way the ship went down has not been discussed by any of them in public.

Speaking during the same press conference, prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said that Cutfield had been “extremely cooperative” when questioned by the authorities.

Naval maritime specialists believe the loss of the Italian high-end yacht Perini’s Bayesian is puzzling since the vessel should have been able to withstand the storm and, in any event, should not have sunk as soon as it did.

Although it is likely to be an expensive and complicated procedure, pulling the Bayesian out of the water will aid investigators in figuring out what occurred. Submerged to a depth of 50 meters (164 feet), the ship lies seemingly undamaged on its side.

“It’s in the interests of the owners and managers of the ship to salvage it,” Cartosio stated. He added that “they have assured their full cooperation” .

Perini’s owner, The Italian Sea Group (TISGR.MI), whose CEO Giovanni Costantino told Reuters this week that the catastrophe was caused by a series of “indescribable, unreasonable errors” made by the crew, ruling out any flaws in design or construction.

According to Cammarano, the weather phenomenon that struck the ship was probably not a water spout, which involves spinning winds like a tornado or whirlwind, but rather a “downburst,” an extremely powerful downward wind that is an intense but rather common event at sea.

The reason the passengers did not manage to escape, according to him, was that they were most likely all asleep throughout the storm.

Chief of the Coast Guard for Palermo, Raffaele Macauda, who was present at the news conference, stated that there was no official prohibition on the ship remaining moored in the location where the storm hit because, at the time, meteorological bulletins did not indicate a big storm alert for the extensive stretch of the southwest Tyrrhenian Sea.

IN SEARCH OF BODIES

In light of further information, Cartosio did not rule out the possibility that someone would be the subject of an inquiry prior to the ship being rescued.

The captain, crew, and passengers were not required by law to stay in Italy, he added, but they were expected to assist the investigation.

Due to their shock and need for medical attention for their wounds, the prosecutor stated that it had not been feasible to provide alcohol or drug tests to the survivors.

The commander of Palermo’s Fire Brigade, Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra, stated during the news conference on Saturday that the bodies of the deceased were discovered in the cabins on the left side of the yacht, where the passengers may have attempted to look for any lingering bubbles of air.

The last body to be found on Friday was Hannah Lynch’s, who had been searched for by divers for the whole week. The bodies of the remaining five dead passengers and the staff member who perished, onboard chef Recaldo Thomas, were discovered on Monday and retrieved on Wednesday and Thursday.

Celebrated his acquittal in a U.S. fraud trial in June, Mike Lynch, 59, asked pals to join him on the boat. Lynch is one of the most well-known software entrepreneurs in the UK.

Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer, who had testified as a character witness on favor of Lynch, and Chris Morvillo, Lynch’s attorney, were also killed in the crash.