Prosecutors in Italy are currently investigating three crewmembers of the UK-registered sailing yacht Bayesian, which sank along with seven people on board off the coast of Sicily on August 19, 2024.
Yacht master James Cutfield and crewmembers Tim Eaton and Matthew Griffith could potentially be charged with manslaughter due to their actions that led to the vessel's loss on the said date, the prosecutors said.
The seven who perished in the accident included British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, and an individual whom Italian officials believe to be the ship's cook. Among the 15 survivors are the three crewmen being investigated and Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who was also the owner of the yacht.
According to experts consulted by the prosecutors, the weather on the morning that Bayesian sank was "little more than a squall," which meant that the conditions would have still been manageable for the crew.
The report commissioned by the prosecutors and recently made available to the Italian press claimed that the crew had taken improper actions such as underestimating the weather and that some of the safety devices on board the yacht were not properly activated.
The prosecutors' findings contradict those of the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), which state that the conditions at the time were characterised by winds strong enough to cause the yacht to keel over by 90 degrees within just 15 seconds.
Andrew Moll, then Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents at the MAIB, said that, "the situation was irrecoverable," the moment the yacht heeled past 70 degrees.
