At about 5 a.m. local time on August 19, the 184-foot superyacht, The Bayesian, sank in bad weather off the coast of Palermo, Italy.
It’s estimated that the sailing yacht was at anchor or idling when it was hit by a microburst or water spout. Seven people on board were killed including British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter, according to the National Public Radio website.
In the days following the incident, Italian prosecutors revealed they had opened an investigation into culpable shipwreck and multiple manslaughter, but added that no suspect has been identified. “We are only in the initial phase of the investigation,” prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, told reporters at a press conference. “We can’t exclude any sort of development at present.”
Investigators will consider each element of responsibility for the fatalities including those of the ship’s captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision, the ship manufacturer and others.
The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its builder, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, went down while a nearby sailboat remained “largely unscathed,” NPR said on its website.
During the press conference, investigators were asked why the crew was almost entirely saved while six guests were trapped in the hull. A local official confirmed that most of those who died were found on the left side of the ship closer to the surface. Deputr prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano surmised that it was likely that the passengers were asleep. It was confirmed that one person was on watch in the cockpit.
Lynch was allegedly celebrating his recent acquittal on fraud charges with his family on the yacht. His wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors. In addition to Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch, the other five victims are Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s U.S.-based lawyers, and his wife, Neda; Jonathon Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s Lon-based investment banking subsidiary and his wife Judy; and Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef.