Deadly superyacht sinking off coast of Sicily investigated as possible manslaughter
Investigators in the superyacht sinking off the coast of Sicily that left seven people dead earlier this week are considering manslaughter charges in the case, judicial sources told Reuters.
The public prosecutor's office of Termini Imerese in Sicily is investigating possible negligence on the part of the crew of the yacht when it was besieged by storms while anchored.
Divers on Friday recovered what is believed to be the body of Hannah Lynch, the final person who had been unaccounted for in the tragedy, the Italian Coast Guard said.
She was the daughter of Mike Lynch, a British tech magnate who was celebrating his acquittal on fraud charges with friends and family on the boat. His body was found Thursday.
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The Lynch family was aboard the Bayesian, a 184-foot British-flagged yacht that sank after capsizing in the early hours of Monday amid winds as high as 100 mph.
Bayesian had 22 people on board — 12 passengers and 10 crew — when it capsized and sank within minutes of being hit by a predawn storm.
Fifteen people survived the sinking, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares.
The captain of the yacht and the other survivors have been interviewed by the Italian Coast Guard at the request of the prosecutor's office.
The prosecutor leading the case is scheduled to hold a press conference Saturday. No one is formally under investigation yet.
Possible charges could include negligent shipwreck and multiple homicide, sources told Reuters.
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"The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends," a spokesperson said in a statement for the family. "Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy. They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue."
Investigators are trying to figure out why the yacht sank so quickly.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which built Lynch’s yacht, blamed the shipwreck on a string of "indescribable, unreasonable errors" made by the crew and ruled out any design or construction failings.
"The impossible happened on that boat ... but it went down because it took on water. From where, the investigators will tell," Costantino said in an interview.
Christopher Morvillo, an American lawyer with Clifford Chance who defended Lynch in the fraud case, also died, as did Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer, who testified in Lynch’s defense.
Morvillo’s wife, Neda, and Bloomer’s wife, Judy, were also among the dead. The body of onboard chef Recaldo Thomas, an Antiguan citizen, was recovered Monday.
A nearby sailboat rescued 15 people, including a 1-year-old girl.
Divers had been searching for the missing in the hull of the Bayesian, which now rests on the seabed 164 feet underwater.
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Civil protection officials said they believe the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, sometime around 5 a.m. Monday near the port of Porticello, where it was anchored and then sank quickly.
Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan and Reuters contributed to this report.