Two more crew members under investigation over sinking of superyacht Bayesian

Two more crew members from the Bayesian are under investigation for manslaughter after seven people were killed when the superyacht sank in a storm off Sicily last week.

A judicial source said on Wednesday that Italian prosecutors are probing two more crew members in connection with the vessel’s sinking , along with its captain, after the British-flagged Bayesian capsized on 19 August while anchored off northern Sicily.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch, his 19-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch, and five other people died when his 56-metre-long (184-foot) yacht went down within minutes of being hit by the pre-dawn tornado near the Sicilian capital of Palermo.

On Monday, the boat's 51-year-old captain James Cutfield, a New Zealander, was put under investigation for manslaughter and shipwreck. The “worn out” Cutfield declined to respond to prosecutors when he was questioned for a third time the following day.

It was revealed on Wednesday that ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are both also being investigated over the same crimes. The source said that Parker Eaton is suspected of having failed to protect the yacht's engine room and operating systems, while Griffith was on watch duty on the night of the incident.

Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow.

After Cutfield stopped responding to prosecutors’ questions, his lawyer Aldo Mordiglia said of his client: “He just exercised his right to remain silent, probably prosecutors were expecting that.” He went on to explain: “First, he’s very worn out. Second, we were appointed only on Monday and for a thorough and correct defence case we need to acquire a set of data that at the moment we don’t have.”

Speaking of the storm outside a hospital treating survivors the day after the disaster, the captain reportedly told La Repubblica : “We didn’t see it coming.”

The sinking has puzzled naval marine experts, who said a vessel like the Bayesian, built by Italian high-end yacht manufacturer Perini and deemed “unsinkable”, should have withstood the storm – and, in any case, should not have sunk as quickly as it did. Meanwhile, a nearby sailing boat remained largely unscathed.

Prosecutors in the town of Termini Imerese, near Palermo, said the event was “extremely rapid” and could have been a “downburst” – a localised, powerful wind, which descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly upon hitting the ground.

They added that their investigation would take time and would require the wreck of the Bayesian – which is lying on its right side, at a depth of around 50 metres (164 feet) – to be salvaged from the sea.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is heading the investigation, has said his team would consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

Members of the yachting community have signalled their support for the captain and crew, with one writing on social media: “Now we need those keyboard warriors and judgemental ‘know it alls’ to actually wait and listen to the unbiased actual professionals ...

“I still stand in support of all Bayesian crew and if things turn sour, I propose all my friends in yachting to stand together and sign a strong petition to support the remaining survived crew to Bayesian.”

Cutfield was among the 15 passengers and crew who survived the tragedy. The yacht’s chef Recaldo Thomas, Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo were the other five people who died.

After a decade-long legal battle, which had seen Mr Lynch extradited to the US to face an $11bn fraud case, the billionaire had been celebrating his acquittal by inviting close friends, colleagues and those who helped him on his legal team aboard his boat as a gesture of gratitude.