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

Prosecutors in Italy have placed under investigationthe captain of the superyacht that sank offSicilylast 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 CaptainJames Cutfield, 51, was being investigatedfor 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 guiltand doesn't mean formal charges will necessarily follow. Noticesto people under probe need to be sent out before authorities can carry out autopsies on the bodies of the dead.

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 wascarrying 22 people when it capsized and sank on August 19 within minutes ofbeing hit by a pre-dawn storm while anchored off northernSicily.

Fifteen people, including Lynch's wife, survived.

'Sinking of yacht could be result of human error'

On Saturday, Italian prosecutors suggested thatthe 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 painfulif the investigation showed it was caused by behaviours that were not aligned with the responsibilities that everyone neededto take in shipping.

(With inputs from agencies)