Qatar tribune dpa London A manslaughter investigation has been opened 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 six people recovered after the Bayesian superyacht sank near Porticello at about 5am (0300 GMT) on Monday. The body of Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the superyacht, was recovered at the scene on Monday.
Ambrogio Cartosio, public prosecutor of nearby town Termini Imerese, said in a press conference at the town’s court on Saturday that his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck, according to a translation. He added that they are conducting an investigation against unknown persons. Cartosio said he thought it probable that offences were committed but insisted investigators needed time to establish the facts.
Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were also recovered from the wreckage. The press conference heard that no post-mortem examinations have been carried out yet. Prosecutors were questioned about the captain of the Bayesian and its crew.
Asked whether the crew will remain in Sicily, Cartosio said: “There’s no obligation but they should be available for the investigation.” The prosecutor in charge of the case, Raffaele Cammarano, was asked about the crew undergoing alcohol and drug testing, and said officials were trying to conduct those tests. He was asked how it is possible that most of the crew managed to survive and said the incident happened suddenly and the inquiry will look into it.
Cammarano suggested that passengers may not have been able to escape from the yacht because they were asleep. Asked why they were not woken up or alerted, he said that is something investigators are trying to work out. He said several of the bodies onboard the sunken yacht were found in a single cabin which was not theirs.
Maritime director of western Sicily Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda said the weather at the time of the yacht’s sinking was abnormal and there was nothing to suggest such an extreme situation would arise. Copy 25/08/2024 10.
