The Italian prosecution has launched a homicide investigation following the sinking of a superyacht off the coast of Sicily, which resulted in seven fatalities on board. Ambrogio Cartosio, a prosecutor in the town of Termini Imerese, announced on Saturday that no suspects have yet been identified in connection with the incident.
Seven individuals, including British technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch, lost their lives when the 56-meter luxury yacht, named Bayesian, sank during a storm early Monday morning. The vessel had 12 passengers and 10 crew members on board.
The Termini Imerese prosecution has filed a case “against unknown individuals, with the hypothesis of criminal acts of negligence leading to shipwreck and multiple instances of involuntary manslaughter,” Cartosio told reporters. Investigators are puzzled as to how a yacht, deemed “unsinkable” by its Italian manufacturer Perini, could sink while a nearby sailing boat remained largely unharmed.
Mike Lynch, 59, had recently been acquitted in the United States of fraud charges amounting to $11 billion related to the sale of his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 survivors of the sinking.
Civil protection authorities believe the yacht may have been struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout, causing it to sink quickly. Rescue teams took four days to recover all the bodies, the last of which is believed to be that of Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.
“The Lynch family is devastated, shocked, and receiving support from family and friends. Their thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy,” a spokesperson for the family said in a statement on Friday.
The other five victims include Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s American attorneys, and his wife Neda; Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment bank, and his wife Judy; as well as Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s chef.