Last updated: August 26, 2024 14:54 IST
Divers from the Italian fire brigade “Vigili del Fuoco” return to Porticello in a small boat near Palermo, the day after the sinking of the British-flagged luxury yacht “Basian” (Image: AFP)
Lynch, a 59-year-old British technology entrepreneur and investor, had invited friends and family on board to celebrate his recent acquittal in a massive US fraud case.
The captain of a luxury superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily last week is being investigated for suspected manslaughter, it was reported on Monday.
James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, was one of 15 people to survive the sinking of the Baysian, which killed seven people, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his daughter.
Prosecutors on the Italian island said Saturday they were investigating the sinking of the yacht in a pre-dawn storm on Aug. 19 on suspicion of negligent shipwreck and manslaughter.
The prosecutor’s office did not name any suspects and stressed the investigation was at an early stage. The office did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment on Monday.
Lynch, a 59-year-old British tech entrepreneur and investor, had invited friends and family on board to celebrate his recent acquittal in a massive US fraud case.
However, the 56-metre (185-foot) yacht was hit by what appeared to be a mini-tornado while anchored off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo.
The yacht’s cook was found dead shortly afterwards and six others, including the businessman and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, were reported missing.
After a massive search, divers recovered the bodies of four of Lynch’s friends on Wednesday, Lynch’s own body on Thursday, and Hannah’s body on Friday.
The yacht now lies on the ocean floor about 50 metres below.
All six bodies were found in the cabin closest to the surface, five in one cabin and Hannah’s body in another, where authorities said the bodies had likely been moved there while searching for air pockets.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed (AFP)
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