Italian authorities have opened a manslaughter investigation, searching for answers from the survivors, the manufacturer and the wreck itself. They face a range of questions and possible factors. An 'earthquake' in the sky? When the Bayesian sank around 4am August 19, the waters in its area, about 800 metres off the Sicilian port of Porticello, were transformed by an extremely sudden and violent storm, according to fishermen, a captain in the area and meteorologists.
But what kind of storm is still a mystery, compounded by the fact that a sailing schooner anchored nearby did not have its own disaster. Also unclear is whether the crew was aware that Italian authorities had issued general warnings about bad weather the night before. Karsten Börner, the captain of the nearby passenger ship, said he'd had to steady his ship during "really violent" winds.
During the storm, he said, the Bayesian seemed to disappear behind his ship. Severe lightning and strong gusts were registered by the Italian air force's Centre for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, according to Attilio Di Diodato, its director. "It was very intense and brief in duration," he said.
The yacht, he said, had most likely been hit by a fierce downburst – a blast of powerful wind surging down during a thunderstorm. His agency put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about possible storms. Locals have said the winds "felt like an earthquake".
A fisherman in Porticello said that he had seen a flare go off in the early-morning hours. His brother ventured to the site once the weather had calmed about 20 minutes later, he said, finding only floating cushions. Italian authorities have so far declined to say whether investigators had seen any structural damage to the hull or other parts of the ship.
Open hatches or doors? The boat executive, Costantino, has argued that the Bayesian was an...
Alan Yuhas.
