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An Italian prosecutor says a manslaughter investigation has been launched into the deaths of seven people when a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.
British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people killed after the Bayswater yacht sank near Porticello at around 5am local time on Monday.
Ambrogio Cartosio, the public prosecutor for the nearby city of Termini Imerese, told a news conference at the city’s courthouse on Saturday that his office had opened a preliminary investigation into manslaughter.
“The Termini Imerese prosecutor’s office has opened a case of shipwreck and manslaughter, but we are still in the initial phase of the investigation,” he said.
“I must stress that the development of the investigation could in fact be of any conceivable kind,” he added.
The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing ship deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, the Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailing vessel remained largely unscathed.
The Baysian ship sank in a storm near the Sicilian capital Palermo on Monday during a voyage to celebrate Mr Lynch’s acquittal in a fraud case in the United States.
Video: Italian prosecutor announces manslaughter investigation into Mike Lynch’s yacht sinking
Italian prosecutor announces manslaughter investigation into Mike Lynch’s yacht sinking
An investigation has been launched into the deaths of seven people on board British tech mogul Mike Lynch’s yacht, with the death toll expected to rise. Mr Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people killed after the Baysail yacht sank near Porticello at around 5am local time on Monday (August 19). Italian prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed the news at a press conference on Saturday (August 24). Mr Cartosio said: “I can confirm that the prosecutor’s office is currently investigating the so-called ‘crime hypothesis’ of shipwreck and manslaughter against unknown persons. “However, we are at a very early stage of the investigation and developments may be unpredictable, and we are not currently ruling out any hypothesis.”
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 14:42
Officials: There is uncertainty about how long it will take to recover the shipwreck
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 14:21
Key questions for investigators into Sicily’s Bayezid yacht tragedy
- Why were the passengers who remained on board not warned to escape from the yacht?
- Why were there several passengers in one cabin?
- Why did the boat sink?
- Why weren’t nearby ships similarly affected?
- What weather warnings are Bayesian alerted to?
- How long will it take to restore the sailing vessel?
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 13:49
Prosecutors said the passengers were asleep and therefore unable to escape.
Prosecutors said the passengers who died were likely asleep, which is why they failed to escape.
“They were asleep while the others were not,” said Rafael Cammarano, the prosecutor in the case.
He was asked if there was anyone available at that time to alert them.
“This is exactly what we are trying to ascertain through the statements made by the survivors during their interrogation – a key point in the investigation, of course,” Mr Cammarano said.
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 13:29
WATCH: Mike Lynch’s friend mourns ‘incredibly tragic’ death after fraud trial acquittal
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 13:15
Who Was on the Bayesian List? How Mike Lynch’s Inner Circle Celebrated the End of the Billionaires’ 13-Year Court Battle
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 12:59
Bayesian accident is ‘extremely serious tragedy’, prosecutor says
A top Sicilian prosecutor has revealed the order in which the bodies of six people missing after a yacht sank were recovered, describing the incident as a “very serious tragedy”.
“These six people who desperately tried to save themselves have finally been found,” prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said at a news conference on Saturday.
“First, four of them were pulled out. Jonathan Bloomer, the banker, Christopher Morvillo, the lawyer, all four of them from inside the yacht, which was 50 metres down.
“Then, later, the other two were also recovered.
Michael Lynch on the 23rd of this month, yesterday, and then Michael Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was found yesterday morning.
“It is a very serious tragedy and in order to reduce the dimensions of the tragedy we have asked for the cooperation of the firefighters and fire divers who have shown incredible courage and skill, doing a very difficult job and allowing us to properly examine the wreckage for bodies.”
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 12:43
In case you missed it: The bodies were recovered from the cabins on the port side of the yacht.
The head of the Palermo fire service said the bodies of six people were recovered from cabins on the left side of the yacht after it sank.
Girolamo Bentivoglio said specialist divers trying to recover the bodies had to contend with “poor visibility due to weather conditions” and were called in from across the country as part of a search and rescue operation involving “about 70 people” each day.
“It is clear that the yacht veered to the right and it is clear that (the people) tried to go to the other side and then took refuge in their cabins,” he added.
“We found four or five bodies in the cabin on the left and there was another body in the third cabin on the left as well, and they were obviously on top of the wreckage.
“The divers obviously took emergency measures and obviously we installed cameras and involved other divers.
“And of course we have been involved with helicopter services and other surveillance cameras.”
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 12:26
WATCH: Manslaughter investigation launched into Mike Lynch’s yacht death
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 12:05
Mike Lynch’s daughter found off yacht as family ‘devastated’ after five-day search
Jabed AhmedAugust 24, 2024 11:49