Superyacht wreck: Authorities question captain amid manslaughter probe

Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The captain of the Bayesian superyacht that went down in a freak storm off the coast of Sicily was questioned for two hours by Italian prosecutors as they escalated their investigation into the disaster to a manslaughter probe after seven people were killed in the wreck.

The prosecutor's office in nearby Termini Imerese is investigating the captain, 51-year-old James Cutfield of New Zealand, for possible manslaughter and shipwreck charges , Sky News reported quoting a source who stressed that being investigated does not imply guilt.

Sunday's interview was the second time the magistrates have spoken to Cutfield since British tech billionaire Mike Lynch's $39 million Italian-built sailboat sank on Aug. 19.

The focus of the investigation is on Cutfield because under international maritime law he has legal responsibility for the the vessel, crew, and all passengers.

However, investigation means only that authorities are questioning the captain and weighing that with all the other evidence gathered before deciding whether or not to charge him.

The La Repubblica and Il Corriere della Sera also reported the manslaughter investigation with local media saying a second crew member who was on night duty when the storm struck may also face investigation.

Prosecutors sought to question Curfield about how the vessel went under although experts have said it was unsinkable when its watertight hatches and windows were shut.

Lynch, 59, his daughter Hannah, 18, Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, American lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo, were killed after they went down inside the Bayesian.

Divers recovered their bodies from the 184-foot-long boat lying 164 feet down on the seabed off the fishing village of Porticello after a five-day major rescue operation.

The body of chef Recaldo Thomas was pulled from the water in the hours after the sinking which occurred at about 4 a.m. local time when people were asleep.

Cutfield and 14 others managed to escape on the Bayesian's emergency life raft.

Chief Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio announced what he called an "initial investigation" at a press conference Saturday citing "behaviors that were not perfectly in order" as a possible reason why so many people were killed.

"For me, it is probable that offenses were committed , that it could be a case of manslaughter, but we can only establish that if you give us the time to investigate," he said stressing that the probe was not directed at any single individual.

Responsibility for the incident could be that of "all members of the crew... the manufacturers... [or those who were] not surveying or supervising the ship."

"At this stage, precisely because the investigation could develop in any way, we are absolutely not ruling anything out," Cartosio said.

Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said they were also investigating how all but one of the crew was saved by boarding the lifeboat while the other guests remained below deck.