Italian prosecutors have initiated an investigation against the captain of the superyacht that sank off Sicily last week during a storm, resulting in the death of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others, according to a judicial source on Monday.
James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, is under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck, the source confirmed, echoing earlier reports from Italian media. Being under investigation in Italy does not automatically imply guilt or guarantee formal charges.
Notifications must be issued to individuals under investigation before authorities can conduct autopsies on the deceased. This decision followed Cutfield's second interrogation. Reuters has been unable to reach Cutfield for comment. It remains uncertain whether other crew members or individuals will also face investigation.
The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-meter-long (184-foot) yacht, was carrying 22 people when it capsized and sank within minutes of being struck by a pre-dawn storm while anchored off northern Sicily. Fifteen people survived, including Lynch's wife, whose company owned the yacht. Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was among the fatalities.
The public prosecutor's office of Termini Imerese, led by Ambrogio Cartosio, suggested on Saturday that crimes of multiple manslaughter and causing a shipwreck through negligence might have occurred, despite the yacht being hit by a sudden meteorological event. Maritime law holds a captain fully responsible for the ship, crew, and passengers.
Cutfield and his eight surviving crew members have yet to make a public statement regarding the incident. The Bayesian was designed to withstand any weather conditions, according to Franco Romani, a nautical architect who was part of the design team, in an interview with La Stampa published on Monday. Romani speculated that the yacht might have taken on water due to an open side hatch.
