Prosecutors in Italy have placed under investigation the captain of the superyacht that sank off Sicily last week in a storm, killing British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and five others, the news agency Reuters reported on Monday (Aug 26), citing a source.

Prosecutors in Italy have placed under investigation the captain of the superyacht that sank off Sicily last week in a storm, killing British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and five others, the news agency Reuters reported on Monday (Aug 26), citing a source. The source told Reuters that Captain James Cutfield, 51, was being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck. This development was first reported by the Italian media. The decision was made after Cutfield was interrogated for a second time. What's the next action? Being placed under investigation in Italy doesn't imply guilt and doesn't mean formal charges will necessarily follow. Notices to people under probe need to be sent out before authorities can carry out autopsies on the bodies of the dead. Also read | Sicily yacht sinking: Tragedy that led to deaths of seven can be result of human error, say prosecutors It was still unclear whether other members of the crew or other people would also be put under investigation along with Cutfield. The British-flagged Bayesian yacht was carrying 22 people when it capsized and sank on August 19 within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm while anchored off northern Sicily. Fifteen people, including Lynch's wife, survived. 'Sinking of yacht could be result of human error' On Saturday, Italian prosecutors suggested that the sinking of the yacht could be the result of human error. Ambrogio Cartosio, the head of the prosecutor’s office in Termini Imerese, told reporters that while the yacht had been hit by a very sudden meteorological event, it was "plausible" that crimes of multiple manslaughters and causing a shipwreck through negligence had been committed. The prosecutor pointed out that the disaster would have been more painful if the investigation showed it was caused by behaviours that were not aligned with the responsibilities that everyone needed to take in shipping. (With inputs from agencies)

Sicily yacht sinking: Captain of vessel being probed for manslaughter and shipwreck

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Sicily yacht sinking: Captain of vessel being probed for manslaughter and shipwreck