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A manslaughter investigation has been launched into the deaths of seven people in the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily, an Italian prosecutor said.
British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who died after the Bayesian superyacht sank near Porticello at about 5am local time on Monday.
Several bodies onboard the sunken yacht were found in a single cabin which “was not theirs”, Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said at a press conference in nearby town Termini Imerese.
“We have no idea of the reasons for their all being found in the same cabin,” he said.
Ambrogio Cartosio, public prosecutor of Termini Imerese said his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter.
“The Termini Imerese prosecution has opened a case hypothesising the crime of shipwreck and of manslaughter but we are only at the initial stage of the inquiry so far,” he said.
He added: “I have to emphasise that the development of the inquiry could actually be of any sort imaginable.”
The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.
Watch: Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss
Final moments of seven who died in Bayesian tragedy revealed by fire service boss
The final moments of the seven people who died in the Bayesian tragedy have been revealed by a fire brigade chief. British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who died after the Bayesian superyacht sank near Porticello at about 5am local time on Monday (19 August). A manslaughter investigation has now been launched. Speaking at a press conference on Saturday (24 August), the fire brigade chief of Palermo, Bentivoglio Fiandra explained more about what is believed to have happened on board. Mr Fiandra said: “The Bayesian sank stern-first and then rolled onto its right side. “As a result, the victims tried to move on the left side of the boat, where the last air pockets remained.”
How long will it take to recover the sailing vessel?
Mr Macauda could not confirm how long it would take to retrieve the shipwreck of the sunken yacht.
“Everything depends on the availability of the owners and the timeframe of the retrieval of the wreck and of course all that has to be submitted to the port authorities and in parallel of course there will be the inquiry results and it’s only really then that we will be able to authorise the operation,” he said, according to a BBC translation.
“I can’t say, like some experts who have already spoken on the subject, that it will be eight weeks.”
He made clear that the owners will bear the full cost of retrieval, although he could not estimate the figure.
Why were nearby vessels not similarly affected?
Another yacht, the Sir Robert BP, was about 150 to 200 metres from the Bayesian when extreme weather hit.
Its crew helped to rescue 15 people from the stricken vessel.
Italian officials said they would be looking at how the downburst could affect one vehicle and not other nearby vessels.
Why did the boat sink?
The vessel had been deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer – Italian shipyard Perini Navi.
The Bayesian was hit by a downburst, according to Mr Cammarano, which are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground.
Officials will look into the safety equipment on the sunken vessel.
Mr Cammarano was asked about whether there is a black box and if the hatches were left open.
He said investigators do not have exact information about the black box and that the first phase of the inquiry will look into it.
Pictured: Bayesian superyacht
Watch: Who is Mike Lynch, the billionaire tech entrepreneur?
Why were several of the passengers in one cabin?
The press conference heard several bodies onboard the sunken yacht were found in a single cabin which was not theirs.
Mr Cammarano said investigators currently do not know the reason for them being discovered in the same cabin.
The chief of the Palermo fire service, Bentivoglio Fiandra, said the yacht pinned to the right and suggested people tried to go on the other side, taking refuge in cabins in the higher part of the wreck.
Why weren’t passengers who remained on board the vessel warned about escaping from the yacht?
The prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, suggested that some passengers may have been asleep when others were awake.
Asked why they were not woken up or alerted, he said that is something investigators are trying to work out from the statements of the survivors.
He called it an “essential” part of the inquiry.
Video: Italian prosecutor announces manslaughter investigation over Mike Lynch yacht sinking
Italian prosecutor announces manslaughter investigation over Mike Lynch yacht sinking
A manslaughter investigation has been launched into the deaths of seven people onboard British tech mogul Mike Lynch’s yacht. Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people who died after the Bayesian superyacht sank near Porticello at about 5am local time on Monday (19 August). Italian prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed the news in a press conference on Saturday (24 August). Mr Cartosion said: “I can confirm that the prosecutor’s office is currently investigating a so-called ‘crime hypothesis’ of shipwreck and manslaughter against unknown persons. “However we are only at a very early stage of the investigation and the developments can be unpredictable, we are not currently excluding any hypothesis.”
Uncertainty over how long it will take to retrieve shipwreck, officials say
Source: independent.co.uk
