Investigators are examining the possibility of manslaughter as they seek to determine the cause of the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht, which resulted in the deaths of seven people, according to an Italian prosecutor. The inquiry is focused on uncovering the circumstances that led to the disaster off the coast of Sicily.
Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio stated that “improper behaviors” might have contributed to the fatalities. During a news conference on Saturday, he indicated that the investigation would scrutinize whether all individuals on board had been adequately informed about safety procedures and protocols.
Responsibility for the incident could potentially extend to various parties, including “all members of the crew, the manufacturers, or those responsible for surveying or supervising the ship,” Cartosio noted. The investigation will consider all possible avenues of fault to determine who may be held accountable.
In addition to human factors, the role of extreme weather conditions will also be investigated. The inquiry will assess how much the severe weather contributed to the sinking and whether it played a significant role in the tragic outcome.
Firefighter Bentivoglio Fiandra revealed that when the emergency call was received at 4:38 a.m. on August 19, the yacht had already sunk and was lying on its side about 50 meters underwater. The victims were either trying to find refuge in cabins on the opposite side of the vessel or may have been asleep and unable to escape.
Divers initially recovered the body of the on-board chef near the vessel. Subsequently, a rotating team of rescuers found five additional victims in the first cabin on the left-hand side of the yacht, and the final body in the third cabin on that side.
Investigators plan to recover the shipwreck from the seabed to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the yacht’s capsizing, with the owners agreeing to cover the cost of this operation. As of now, there is no evidence suggesting that the yacht was anchored in a problematic position.
Water samples taken from the vicinity of the wreckage have not revealed any presence of hazardous hydrocarbons. Autopsies on the victims, retrieved from the wreckage between Monday and Friday, have not yet been conducted.
Among the seven who perished were British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, 59, and several others, including Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, American lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, and the yacht’s on-board chef, Reclado Thomas. The final body recovered was that of Mr. Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, on Friday. His wife, Angela Bacares, survived the disaster, while their other daughter, Esme, was not on board. The family organized the trip to celebrate the conclusion of Mr. Lynch’s legal battles.
In July, Mike Lynch was acquitted of 15 US fraud charges related to the 2011 sale of his company, Autonomy, to Hewlett Packard. The prosecution had alleged he intentionally inflated the company’s value, but Lynch consistently denied any wrongdoing.