Nine crew members survived the sinking of the Bayesian yacht off the coast of Sicily during a freak storm. The $40 million superyacht, owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, sank within minutes, resulting in the deaths of several passengers and crew members. The survivors have been staying at the Domina Zagarella Hotel in Santa Flavia, running up a hefty bar tab as they try to process the tragedy.
Italian investigators are working to determine the cause of the yacht’s sinking and have announced that three members of the crew, including Captain James Cutfield, ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton, and sailor Matthew Griffith, are under investigation. However, Italian authorities have clarified that this is merely a procedural step and does not imply any wrongdoing on the part of the crew members. The crew members have been cooperating with investigators and providing statements about the events leading up to the accident.
Captain Cutfield, a New Zealand national, has been questioned multiple times by prosecutors regarding the tender door, the position of the movable centerboard, and the timeline of the events surrounding the sinking. Cutfield’s lawyer stated that the captain exercised his right to remain silent due to exhaustion and the need for more data to mount a proper defense. The other crew members under investigation, Parker Eaton and Griffith, have yet to appear in court for questioning.
The sinking of the yacht has puzzled naval marine experts who believed the boat, built by Italian company Perini, should have been able to withstand the storm. Prosecutors suspect the incident may have been caused by a downburst, a powerful localized wind that descends rapidly from a thunderstorm. The investigation is expected to take some time, as the wreck still needs to be salvaged from the sea. The company that owns the Bayesian, Revtom, has not commented on the incident.
The crewmembers have been under the care of the Protezione Civile, an Italian disaster relief agency, since the tragedy. They have given statements to authorities and are cooperating with the investigation. The crew members who survived the sinking have been identified as Tijs Koopmans, Htun Myint Kyaw, Sasha Murray, Katja Chichen, Leah Randall, and Leo Eppel. Prosecutors are focusing on determining whether the crew was negligent in not taking proper precautions to prevent the sinking, which resulted in fatalities among the passengers and crew members.
The yacht carrying 22 passengers and crew members was on a celebratory trip following Lynch’s acquittal in a major US fraud trial. The bodies of Lynch, his daughter, several other passengers, and crew members were discovered after their deaths in the aftermath of the sinking. The surviving crew members, who have been staying at a seaside hotel, are struggling to come to terms with the tragic events and have been supported by local authorities and disaster relief organizations as they navigate the aftermath of the disaster.
