Italian authorities have launched an investigation into whether the sinking of the luxury yacht “Bayesian,” which killed seven people, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, was a case of manslaughter.
Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said on Saturday that the investigation was not currently aimed at any specific individuals, but that crimes of manslaughter and causing the sinking of the ship “probably have been committed.”
The Basian sank off the port of Porticello, near the Sicilian capital of Palermo, during an unexpected storm early on Monday. Fifteen people, including Lynch’s wife and the yacht’s owner, Angela Bacarès, were rescued from the sea.
After a frantic underwater search and a search of the sunken ship, seven bodies were eventually found over the course of several days: Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, American lawyer Christopher Morbillo and his wife Neda Morbillo, Morgan Stanley executive Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer, and the ship’s chef, Recardo Thomas. Lynch had recently been acquitted of fraud in the United States, and Christopher Morbillo was one of Lynch’s lawyers, while Jonathan Bloomer served as a character witness on Lynch’s behalf.
Investigating how the yacht sank
Searchers plan to raise the wreck, which lies about 160 feet deep, from the ocean floor.
“It is in the interests of the owners and managers to salvage the vessel,” Cartosio said, adding that the focus of the investigation could shift to personal issues.
The disaster has baffled naval experts, who say the yacht should have been able to survive a storm of that magnitude, as no other ships in the area reported any damage from the storm.
Survivors, including the Baysian’s captain, James Cutfield, are being questioned by authorities about what happened on board but have not yet spoken publicly. Cutfield has been “very cooperative,” another prosecutor, Raffaele Cammarano, said Saturday.
Maritime law experts told USA Today that the incident could lead to lawsuits and even criminal charges against Cutfield. Maritime expert witness and captain Mitchell Stohler said Cutfield’s job was to monitor the weather and prepare to navigate the ship through rough waters without anchoring. Italian authorities have said the Basian was likely anchored before the incident. It is unclear whether Cutfield has hired an attorney to represent him, and a message seeking comment on a Facebook profile that appears to belong to him was not returned Friday.
Why did the Bayesian sink? Investigators are searching for answers as to why the luxury superyacht sank in a storm.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of Italian Sea Group, which owns the Perini, told Reuters that the sinking was not caused by any flaws in the ship’s design but by “unspeakable and irrational errors” made by the crew.
Cammarano said passengers were likely asleep when the storm hit, which may have prevented some from escaping. Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra of the Palermo fire brigade said most of the bodies were found on the left side of the ship, where they may have gone in search of air pockets while it was sinking.
Contributing writer: Cybel Mays Osterman, USA Today, Reuters
