Italian authorities open manslaughter investigation into superyacht sinking

By Niamh Kennedy and Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN

(CNN) — Authorities in Italy have opened a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of a superyacht, which killed British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others off the coast of Sicily earlier this week.

Announcing the probe, prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said investigators found it was not the weather that caused the ship to sink, but was a result of the behavior of the crew and the way the boat was handled.

He said the investigation was not aimed at any individual.

“There are many possibilities for culpability.  It could be just the captain. It could be the whole crew. It could be the guard. We are evaluating all of the factors to see whose behavior fault can be assigned to,” Cartosio said.

He added that the prosecutor’s office had “filed a dossier, at present against unknown persons, alleging the crime of negligent shipwreck and manslaughter.”

The British-flagged vessel, with 22 passengers and crew members on board, sank on Monday during a violent storm.

Seven bodies have been recovered over the past four days, with divers working nearly 50 meters (160 feet) underwater to retrieve them. The last – believed to be that of Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah – was found in the wreck on Friday.

The other missing people whose bodies were recovered are thought to be those of Morgan Stanley International director Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy Bloomer, prominent American lawyer Chris Morvilloand his wife Neda Morvillo, and that of onboard chef Recaldo Thomas.

Five bodies were found in one cabin, and while authorities stressed the boat needs to be salvaged before they can draw firm conclusions, they have speculated the group may have been searching for remaining air pockets as the boat sank.

‘Unsinkable’

Another prosecutor speaking at the same conference, Raffaele Cammarano, said that those killed were likely asleep at the time of the storm which was why they were unable to escape.

Cammarano said the crew did not undergo drug and alcohol tests as they were “in great shock and needed treatment” after surviving the shipwreck.

Investigators still have many unresolved questions, Cammarano explained, such as whether there was a black box onboard the ship.

“It [the sinking] was a sudden and abrupt event. We must wait for the recovery of the ship,” Cammarano underscored.

While the reasons for the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht remain unconfirmed, many believe the yacht was struck by a waterspout — one of several types of tornadoes. The coast guard reported the yacht was struck by a tornado, and a waterspout was reported to the European Severe Weather Database around the same time.

Authorities cannot confirm at this stage whether some of the ship’s hatches were left open, Cammarano said, which could help explain why it sank so quickly.

The CEO of the firm that owns the boat’s manufacturer called the superyacht “unsinkable.”

“Sailing ships, it is well known, are the safest in the most absolute sense,” Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, told Sky News in an interview.

“First of all, because they have very little surface compared to a yacht facing into the wind. Second, with the structure of the drift keel, they become unsinkable bodies.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Catherine Nicholls and Kara Fox contributed to this report.