Investigators are trying to clarify how the luxury yacht sank Bayesian They believe that the seven victims of the tragedy were surprised “by a sudden and unexpected event” while they were sleeping and woke up abruptly and tried to escape, but were trapped inside the ship.
The Italian prosecutor in charge of the case, Ambrogio Cartosio, held a press conference on Saturday morning, accompanied by the deputy prosecutor and representatives of the fire brigade and the Navy who have collaborated in the search and rescue efforts. During the conference they offered some details of the investigation, although most of it remains confidential.
Cartosio said the body of Hannah Lynch, the last of the missing, was found in the third cabin on the left side of the boat. The bodies of the other five deceased were in the first cabin, also on the port side. Given that, as the survivors have said, their rooms were not on that side of the boat, investigators believe it is most likely that the deceased tried to escape the water that was entering the boat. The yacht sank by the stern and then slowly turned over on its right side, as pointed out by the provincial commander of the fire brigade, Bentivoglio Fiandra. The six victims tried to take refuge in the cabins on the left side looking for air bubbles to continue breathing. The prosecutors pointed out that “probably” they were unable to reach the deck in time and, therefore, the lifeboat “because the storm surprised them while they were sleeping.”
Investigators will have to clarify this dynamic and determine whether safety rules and protocols were respected, and details such as whether passengers were warned of the risk of a storm and what measures should be taken in the event of an accident. In order to clarify more precisely what happened, Cartosio believes it is “fundamental” to refloat the ship. Bayesianwhich lies 50 metres below the seabed. “If we do not recover it and examine it carefully, it will be difficult to determine who is responsible for what happened,” he said.
Prosecutors believe there is sufficient evidence to prove negligence in the sinking of the Bayesianboth before the sailboat began to take on water and during the sinking phase of the ship. But they have not yet identified the possible person responsible for this, so they still have no official suspects. Everything will depend on the analysis of the data provided by the investigation and the study of the wreck on the surface.
The responsibility, as explained by the prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, could fall on the captain of the boat, on the crew or even on the ship’s owner. “This tragedy would be even more painful if it were proven that it was caused by behaviour that was not perfectly in line with the responsibility that each person should have in the management of navigation,” said Cartosio. The prosecutor added that the investigators “do not exclude anything.” As they explained, possible charges will depend on the study of the sunken sailboat and other technical and meteorological data, and statements.
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Free to leave Italy
The magistrates also stressed that both the captain, New Zealander James Catfield, and the nine of the ten crew members who survived the shipwreck have been “very cooperative” and they hope they will continue to do so, because they have more questions for them. However, the prosecutors stressed that, for the moment, they are free to leave Italy whenever they wish.
One important fact that was previously unknown is that, as explained by the deputy prosecutor, Raffaele Cammarano, who is coordinating the investigation, on the night of the storm there was an officer on duty on the bridge whose job was to warn of sudden bad weather, although it has not been revealed which member of the crew had that role. “I wonder why he did not see the storm coming. We are also investigating why the crew saved themselves by getting into the lifeboat while the other guests were still on the hull. What we do know is that the event was really sudden and abrupt,” said Cammarano.
Prosecutor Cartosio and his team had so far remained silent, despite criticism from the press about the lack of information from the Italian authorities about the emergency operation. The prosecutor explained that “the law only allows judicial authorities to disclose information through press conferences or press releases.” He reiterated that his investigation raises the crimes of negligent shipwreck and multiple negligent homicide.
He Bayesian The luxury vessel, 56 metres long and 11 metres wide and flying the British flag, was at full capacity and was carrying 22 people, 10 of whom were crew members and 12 passengers. It was swallowed up by the sea early on Monday morning during a strong storm off the coast of the Sicilian town of Porticello. Fifteen people survived the sinking, and seven died. The victims of the sinking are British technology magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah; banker and non-executive chairman of Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Bloomer; his wife, Judy; Lynch’s lawyer, Chris Morvillo; and his wife, Neda. Also dead is Recaldo Thomas, the ship’s cook, whose body was recovered by firefighters a few hours after the sinking.
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