The sinking of the Bayesian superyacht ‘wasn’t right down to storm’ as investigators confirm the weather was not bad enough to capsize the vessel.
The £30 million boat, which was owned by British billionaire Mike Lynch, sank off the coast of Sicily in August 2024 killing seven people, including Mike and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.
Investigators found the intensity of the weather amounted to ‘little greater than a squall, a sudden increase in wind speed that precedes thunderstorms and downpours’.
This could have been manageable for the crew, and the yacht sank attributable to improper actions in accordance with the preliminary findings.
Prosecutors at the moment are considering whether or not they can bring any charges of manslaughter and negligent shipwreck for the captain and two of its crew.
Mike was onboard with 11 other guests – including his daughter, who died, and his wife, Angela Bacares, who was rescued – and 10 crew members.
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The opposite victims were the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas; Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer; and Mr Lynch’s lawyer, Chris Morvillo, and his wife, Neda Morvillo.
Reporters questioned Ambrogio Cartosio, public prosecutor, on why a lot of the crew left the boat while various guests still remained, when the same old practice when there’s an emergency is for guests to go away first.
Prosecutors said they were ‘concentrating on this particular aspect’.
They added that they desired to ‘discover how much [crew] knew and to what extent all of the people [passengers] were warned’.
There isn’t any legal obligation for the captain, crew and passengers to remain in Italy ‘but we expect them to cooperate fully within the investigation’, prosecutors added.
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In response to reports, Mr Lynch and the group were on holiday celebrating after Mr Lynch was acquitted of fraud in June following a high-profile court case over the corporate’s sale.
The yacht’s owner, Italian Sea Group (TISG), has blamed the crew for the sinking and sued Mr Lynch’s widow for £400million, claiming the corporate lost sales after the disaster.
TISG’s majority owner, Giovanni Costantino, an Italian yachting millionaire, claimed that the crew’s incompetence and negligence led to the tragedy on August 19, 2024 – insisting that the yacht was ‘unsinkable’.
Mr Costantino also said the incontrovertible fact that the yacht took 16 minutes to sink meant there was ample time for the passengers and crew to be saved.
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