Termini Imerese, Italy: An Italian prosecutor has launched a manslaughter investigation into the deaths of British tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others following the sinking of a luxury yacht off Sicily this week.
Ambrogio Cartosio, head of the public prosecutor’s office in Termini Imerese, announced the investigation at a news conference. He clarified that the probe is not currently targeting any individual.
The tragedy occurred when Lynch’s 56-meter-long (184-foot) yacht, the Bayesian, capsized during a violent pre-dawn storm on Monday near Porticello, close to Palermo. Among the victims was Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.
Fifteen people survived the incident, including Lynch’s wife, whose company owned the yacht, and the vessel’s captain. Captain James Cutfield and other survivors have been questioned by authorities, but no public comments have been made regarding the cause of the sinking.
Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano noted that Captain Cutfield had been “extremely cooperative” during questioning. Recovering the Bayesian from the sea might shed light on the incident, though the operation is expected to be both complex and expensive. The wreck remains largely intact, lying on its side at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet).
Cartosio stated that while there is no legal obligation for the captain, crew, or passengers to stay in Italy, authorities expect their full cooperation with the investigation. He added, “It’s in the interests of the owners and managers of the ship to salvage it,” emphasizing their commitment to cooperate fully.
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Naval experts are baffled by the sinking, noting that a yacht like the Bayesian, built by the high-end Italian manufacturer Perini, should have been able to withstand the storm and should not have sunk so rapidly. Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini, attributed the wreck to “indescribable, unreasonable errors” by the crew and dismissed any issues with the yacht’s design or construction.
Prosecutor Cammarano suggested that the passengers were likely asleep during the storm, which might explain their inability to escape. Divers have been searching the submerged vessel all week to recover the bodies. The last body recovered was that of Hannah Lynch on Friday. The other deceased, including onboard chef Recaldo Thomas, were found earlier in the week.
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Mike Lynch, 59, was a prominent UK tech entrepreneur who had invited friends to celebrate his acquittal in a U.S. fraud trial. Also among the deceased were Lynch’s lawyer, Chris Morvillo, and Jonathan Bloomer, a Morgan Stanley banker who had testified on Lynch’s behalf.
