Investigation into Manslaughter Regarding British Tycoon's Superyacht Catastrophe
A manslaughter investigation is underway after seven bodies were found following the sinking of a British-flagged yacht that was anchored off the coast of Italy. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Mike Lynch and six others lost their lives when their anchored vessel sank in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday.
Italian authorities have initiated a manslaughter investigation into the yacht's sinking off Sicily's coast earlier this week, which resulted in seven fatalities, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter.
The investigation was revealed on Saturday by the local prosecutor’s office in the Palermo metropolitan area.
A case has been opened “against unknown persons for negligent shipwreck and manslaughter,” according to Raffaele Cammarano, the prosecutor overseeing the inquiry, as reported by Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
The British-flagged superyacht, named ‘Bayesian’ and measuring 56 meters, was moored less than a kilometer from Sicily's coast when it reportedly encountered what is thought to be a tornado or waterspout on Monday.
All seven victims, including Lynch, a prominent figure in the UK tech industry, and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, have had their bodies recovered. Fifteen individuals survived the incident, including Lynch’s wife and the yacht’s captain, both of whom have been questioned as part of the investigation.
The focus is on determining “why the crew saved themselves by climbing into the lifeboat while the other guests were in the hull” asleep, stated Prosecutor Cammarano. He expressed concerns about the crew's failure to anticipate the storm and noted that the yacht experienced wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour.
“There are many possibilities for culpability. It could be just the captain. It could be the whole crew. It could be the guard,” CNN quoted Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the public prosecutor’s office.
The wreck is reported to be lying intact on its side at a depth of 50 meters.
The bodies were found “on the side of the vessel that faces the surface,” said Girolamo Bentivoglio, the commander of the local Fire Department, who participated in the press conference.
The victims “were all looking [to be saved] in the last air bubbles,” he added.
Lynch, 59, had invited friends aboard the yacht to celebrate his acquittal in a US fraud trial in June, as noted by Reuters. Among those who perished in the wreck were Lynch’s attorney Chris Morvillo and Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer, who had previously acted as a character witness in the case.
Maritime experts have expressed confusion over the sinking, noting that a high-end vessel like the Bayesian should have endured the storm and, in any event, should not have sunk as quickly as it did.
The Lynch family released a statement thanking the Italian coastguard and emergency services, while also requesting that their privacy be respected “at this time of unspeakable grief.”
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
Italian authorities have initiated a manslaughter investigation into the yacht's sinking off Sicily's coast earlier this week, which resulted in seven fatalities, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his teenage daughter.
The investigation was revealed on Saturday by the local prosecutor’s office in the Palermo metropolitan area.
A case has been opened “against unknown persons for negligent shipwreck and manslaughter,” according to Raffaele Cammarano, the prosecutor overseeing the inquiry, as reported by Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera.
The British-flagged superyacht, named ‘Bayesian’ and measuring 56 meters, was moored less than a kilometer from Sicily's coast when it reportedly encountered what is thought to be a tornado or waterspout on Monday.
All seven victims, including Lynch, a prominent figure in the UK tech industry, and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, have had their bodies recovered. Fifteen individuals survived the incident, including Lynch’s wife and the yacht’s captain, both of whom have been questioned as part of the investigation.
The focus is on determining “why the crew saved themselves by climbing into the lifeboat while the other guests were in the hull” asleep, stated Prosecutor Cammarano. He expressed concerns about the crew's failure to anticipate the storm and noted that the yacht experienced wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour.
“There are many possibilities for culpability. It could be just the captain. It could be the whole crew. It could be the guard,” CNN quoted Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the public prosecutor’s office.
The wreck is reported to be lying intact on its side at a depth of 50 meters.
The bodies were found “on the side of the vessel that faces the surface,” said Girolamo Bentivoglio, the commander of the local Fire Department, who participated in the press conference.
The victims “were all looking [to be saved] in the last air bubbles,” he added.
Lynch, 59, had invited friends aboard the yacht to celebrate his acquittal in a US fraud trial in June, as noted by Reuters. Among those who perished in the wreck were Lynch’s attorney Chris Morvillo and Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer, who had previously acted as a character witness in the case.
Maritime experts have expressed confusion over the sinking, noting that a high-end vessel like the Bayesian should have endured the storm and, in any event, should not have sunk as quickly as it did.
The Lynch family released a statement thanking the Italian coastguard and emergency services, while also requesting that their privacy be respected “at this time of unspeakable grief.”
Camille Lefevre contributed to this report for TROIB News
