The luxury yacht Bayesian had around 20 people on board when it sank off Sicily earlier in the week. Before the shipwreck, a storm had torn itself up, but the luxury yacht was close to land and should have been able to withstand such weather. Less than a quarter of an hour later, however, the vessel was filled with water.
The Public Prosecution Office in Termini Imerese has now initiated a case against unnamed individuals, including charges of negligence in connection with the shipwreck and several counts of manslaughter, says prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio at the press conference.
15 people were rescued from the wreck, one was found dead shortly after the shipwreck, and another six were sucked down into the depths, including IT magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter. The seventh and final victim – Lynch's daughter – was recovered on Friday.
"The Lynch family is devastated, shocked, and is receiving comfort and support from family and friends", says a spokesperson in a statement.
Investigating Manslaughter
According to prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, the investigation that is now beginning may take several months.
Now that the search operation is complete, the investigation is starting to try to answer the question of how the boat could sink so quickly. A priority task is to salvage the wreck, which lies at a depth of 50 meters.
If we don't salvage it, it will be difficult to fully investigate the cause of the shipwreck, says an official.
Survivors Questioned
The focus is also on clarifying how much the captain and crew understood of the situation, and whether they did enough to warn the passengers. The surviving crew members have been questioned by prosecutors.
We have tried to get as much information as possible from the crew and the survivors – all I can say is that it all happened very, very suddenly, says the prosecutor.
The sailboat has been described as "one of the safest boats in the world" and "practically unsinkable".
