Italian authorities have launched a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of the luxury yacht Bayesian, which resulted in the deaths of seven people, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch. The yacht sank off the port of Porticello, near Sicily’s capital of Palermo, during an unexpected storm early Monday (August 19) morning. The investigation, announced by Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, is not currently targeting specific individuals but is exploring the possibility of manslaughter or causing a shipwreck through negligence.
The Bayesian was owned by Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, and was carrying a total of 22 people when it capsized. Fifteen people were rescued from the water, but seven, including Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, American lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda, Morgan Stanley executive Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and the ship’s chef Recaldo Thomas, were found dead.
The yacht’s captain, James Cutfield, has been questioned by authorities and has been described as “extremely cooperative.” The investigation will involve salvaging the sunken ship from the sea bottom, where it is lying on its side about 160 feet down. The operation is expected to be complex and costly, but is considered necessary to help determine what caused the disaster.
The sinking has puzzled naval experts, who say the yacht should have withstood a storm of this magnitude. No other boats in the area reported damage from the storm. The investigation will continue to explore the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
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