A “crime hypothesis” of culpable shipwreck and manslaughter has been launched after a luxury superyacht sunk off the coast of Sicily earlier this week.
The Bayesian sank around 500m off the coast of Porticello, near Palermo, during a storm on Monday.
Seven people were killed when the 56m yacht was struck by what civil protection officials now believe was a downburst and sank quickly.
A downburst is a strong wind which descends from a thunderstorm before rapidly spreading outward upon hitting the ground.
The incident was previously believed to have been caused by a waterspout.
The victims included British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter Hannah; Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s US lawyers, and his wife, Neda; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife, Judy; and Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef.
Among the 15 survivors were New Zealanders Ayla Ronald, a senior associate at law firm Clifford Chance, and captain James Cutfield.
The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.
The investigation is not targeting any specific individuals at this stage, Chief Prosecutor of Termini Imerese, Ambrogio Cartosio, said.
He confirmed the vessel’s captain and crew will not be required to remain in Sicily for the entirety of the investigation.
The survivors cannot be detained under the law. However, the deputy prosecutor said the authorities have requested the survivors provide the “maximum degree of cooperation”.