ROME (AP) — Prosecutors in Italy said Saturday they have opened an investigation into culpable shipwreck and multiple manslaughter after a superyacht capsized during a storm off the coast of Sicily, killing seven people onboard.
Termini Imerese prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed the investigation has been launched, but hasn’t identified a suspect.
“We are only in the initial phase of the investigation.
We can’t exclude any sort of development at present,” he told reporters at a news conference.
Investigators were also asked why the crew was almost entirely saved, except for the chef, while six passengers remained trapped in the hull.
The sailboat was carrying a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers.
The seventh victim was Hannah Lynch, 18, the daughter of Mike Lynch., whose body was recovered Thursday.
Prosecutors said the recovery of the Bayesian will be crucial for the investigation, but noted it will be a long and complex process, which will be paid for by the owners.
ROME (AP) — Italian prosecutors announced on Saturday that they had launched an inquiry into multiple manslaughter and culpable shipwreck following the capsize of a superyacht during a storm off the coast of Sicily, which resulted in the deaths of seven people on board. The tech magnate Mike Lynch from Britain and his daughter were among them.
While acknowledging the start of the investigation, prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio of Termini Imerese has not yet named a suspect.
“The investigation is just getting started. He told reporters during a press conference, “At this point, we can’t rule out any kind of development.
Cartosio stated that his group will meticulously examine every potential aspect of accountability, encompassing those of the Bayesian’s captain, the crew, individuals in charge of oversight, the yacht’s manufacturer, and additional parties.
“In my opinion, there was likely criminal activity, and there may have been manslaughter involved, but we need more time to confirm that,” he stated.
The key inquiry for investigators is how a sailing vessel that the Italian shipyard Perini Navi declared “unsinkable” went down while a neighboring sailboat survived relatively unharmed.
According to the prosecution, the incident happened “extremely quickly” and might have been a “downburst,” which is a strong, localized wind that emerges from a thunderstorm and spreads out quickly as it hits the ground.
The yacht, which had a distinctive 75-meter (246-foot) aluminum mast, was first reported to have been hit by a waterspout, or tornado, over the water, according to civil protection officials.
Why six passengers were still trapped in the hull while the crew—aside from the chef—was nearly completely rescued was another question posed to the investigators.
A local official verified that the majority of the bodies recovered were discovered in the same area of the yacht, which is closer to the surface and on the left side. This finding raises the possibility that passengers sought refuge in the cabins where the final air bubbles had formed.
It is probable that the passengers were asleep, according to Deputy Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano, who also stated that determining whether or not they were alerted by someone is a chief focus of the investigation.
It was confirmed by Cammarano that there was one person on watch in the cockpit.
After a storm caused the 56-meter (184-foot) luxury yacht, registered under the British flag, to capsize near a Mediterranean island in southern Italy early on Monday, rescuers recovered the final seven bodies from the sinking on Friday. There were twelve passengers and ten crew members on the sailboat.
Hannah Lynch, 18, the daughter of Mike Lynch, was the seventh victim. whom Thursday saw the recovery of their body. Along with his family and the attorneys who had represented him during his trial in the United States, he had been rejoicing over his recent acquittal on fraud charges. Of the fifteen survivors, his wife, Angela Bacares, was one.
Despite making only slow progress through the wreck’s interior, which is located 50 meters (164 feet) below the surface, rescuers battled for four days to locate every body.
Prosecutors stated that retrieving the Bayesian will be essential to the investigation, but they also pointed out that it will be an expensive and time-consuming process that requires payment from the owners.
Christopher Morvillo, a member of Lynch’s U.S. S. Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef, lawyers, and his wife Neda; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife Judy.
