Italy - Sailing yacht sank off Italian coast, 15 rescued, 7 missing, 19 August 2024

[Tortoise]

What I take from that is that poor Hannah Lynch slept through it and died in her cabin whilst at least three of the other five, including Mike Lynch, were trying to escape when the yacht sank. By the first cabin on the left I take it this means the cabin on the left nearest the bow. This cabin is right next to the stairway up to the deck. If the yacht was rolling to the right and sinking by the stern, why head for the cabin to the left of the stairway rather than the stairway itself?

Perhaps the stairway became blocked and they ended up there because there might have initially been an airpocket for a short window of time.

(speculation)

 

[JDG]

Hannah Lynch's body 'was found on her own in yacht cabin'

Five others, including her father, were found in a separate compartment, reporters were told in Termini Imerese on Saturday morning.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[SouthAussie]

There is a photo of the staircase here (the inset). It could be that there were strong waters pouring in along the staircase and those who were found in the cabin just couldn't traverse the staircase - which would now have been laying sideways.

Sicily authorities open manslaughter investigation after bodies of Hannah and Mike Lynch found

The prosecutor's office is at the very early stages of investigating a so-called "crime hypothesis" of culpable shipwreck and manslaughter.

www.bbc.com

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1827261515847667746

 

[Chimera]

Italian authorities open manslaughter investigation into superyacht sinking

Authorities in Italy have opened a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of superyacht, the Bayesian, which killed seven people off the coast of Sicily earlier this week.

www.yahoo.com

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

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/20/europe/bayesian-yacht-what-we-kno

w-intl/index.html?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo

The United Kingdom’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said it has deployed a team of four inspectors to Palermo which is conducting a preliminary assessment of the scene.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/21/europe/bayesian-yacht-sicily-sinking-cctv-intl/index.html?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said it will deploy a team of four inspectors to Palermo to conduct a preliminary assessment of the scene.
RBM.

This was odd, went to read both of the CNN articles that Yahoo sourced, and neither seem to indicate the manslaughter charges ?
Reading Yahoo articles can sometimes be as 'iffy' as reading the Daily Mail for accuracy.
Imo

From the second CNN link black & white security video, it appeared that the Bayesian was anchored further off I'm not sure there was negligence, but I'm certain the families of the deceased want this thoroughly investigated, and why the other ships or yachts in the area were not capsized ?
They want answers and I can't say I blame them.

If it was indeed a 'black swan' event, a rare tornado/waterspout -- as described in my earlier post -- there may not have been time to avert disaster ?
We'll see.
Omo.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1827265954885091620

Oh, this is awful, that poor child. My heart goes out to her mom and her sister.

I still am not clear on if there was a chance to try to use the second lifeboat? Or if there were safety drills by crew and also with passengers, esp in light of the weather forecast? Glad that lives were saved but that so many were crew is startling. I had kind of hoped that many of the deceased may have been sleeping but does not sound that way. It's a shame that with the forecast storm there was not preparation and that passengers were not summoned to the deck and supplied with life jackets. It's not clear to me that there were enough since the boat seemed over occupied?

Horrible and seemingly potentially avoidable tragedy. MOOO.

 

[vls12345]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/sicily-ship-investigation-lynch-1.7304159

"Cammarano confirmed that one person was on watch in the cockpit."

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Prosecutors open manslaughter investigation into sunken superyacht

In a press conference the regional prosecutors office said they have opened an investigation on the potential crime of “culpable shipwreck and multiple manslaughter.”

www.nbcnews.com

TERMINI IMERSE, Italy — Prosecutors said there "could be a question of manslaughter" as they opened an investigation into the deaths of seven people after a superyacht sank while anchored off the Sicilian coast Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said the investigation is not currently directed at any individuals, and is looking into “the crime of culpable shipwreck and multiple manslaughter."

"But we are only at an early stage," Cartosio said. "Developments in the investigation could be of any kind, and we are not ruling anything out.”...

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1827409722070171825

 

[JennieM]

What I take from that is that poor Hannah Lynch slept through it and died in her cabin whilst at least three of the other five, including Mike Lynch, were trying to escape when the yacht sank. By the first cabin on the left I take it this means the cabin on the left nearest the bow. This cabin is right next to the stairway up to the deck. If the yacht was rolling to the right and sinking by the stern, why head for the cabin to the left of the stairway rather than the stairway itself?

That would mean her mum escaped and her dad tried to escape, without either of them trying to wake her up? I am not sure about this.

 

[JennieM]

Five things we learned from Sicily yacht press conference

1. A manslaughter investigation has been opened

2. The yacht was hit by a downburst - not a waterspout

3. Several of the bodies were found together

4. There is no obligation for the captain or crew to stay in Sicily

5. No post-mortems have taken place yet

Sicily yacht press conference: Five things we learned

Investigators examining the sinking of a luxury yacht that killed seven people have outlined what they know six days on.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[espirtu pampa]

That would mean her mum escaped and her dad tried to escape, without either of them trying to wake her up? I am not sure about this.

The mother went upstairs to ask the crew what was happening (noise, vibrations or what ever...).That's why she was on the deck and got or was rushed in the lifeboat

 

[JennieM]

9h ago
13.04 BST
It is not yet possible to say for certain when the first distress signal was sent from the boat, Mr Macauda said.

“It is normal when there is imminent danger to send distress signals,” he said. That is what alerted the port authorities to come to the scene.

“It may be that there was an error in manipulation given the speed of events and it meant that an emergency distress signal was not launched properly or at the right time.

“We can’t reconstruct all these details, I’m afraid at the moment. We can’t say exactly at what time the first distress signal was launched.”

Sicily yacht sinking: trapped passengers ‘may have died on Bayesian because they were asleep’ – as it happened

Public prosecutor launches inquiry into deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others people in sinking off coast of Italian island

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

8h ago
14.07 BST
Prosecutor says it is ‘probable’ offences were committed
Back now to today’s press conference in Sicily.

Mr Cartosio, who you may remember is the chief public prosecutor, said he thought it was “probable that offences were committed” surrounding the sinking of the yacht.

According to a live translation provided by the BBC, he told reporters that the sinking could have been the responsibility of the captain, crew, individuals in charge of supervision, the shipbuilder, or others. But he did point out it may take some time for the investigation to come to a conclusion

He added: “We will establish each element’s responsibility - that will be done by the inquiry, so we can’t do that prematurely.

“For me, it is probable that offences were committed - that it could be a case of manslaughter - but we can only establish that if you give us the time to investigate.”

Sicily yacht sinking: trapped passengers ‘may have died on Bayesian because they were asleep’ – as it happened

Public prosecutor launches inquiry into deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others people in sinking off coast of Italian island

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

7h ago
15.36 BST
At present, it is only the Italian authorities working on the investigation, but Mr Cartosio told reporters earlier that it may also involve agencies from other countries.

“I cannot tell you with any certainty that the inquiry will be exclusively Italian,” he said.

“There will be developments, I’m sure, on that score.”

Sicily yacht sinking: trapped passengers ‘may have died on Bayesian because they were asleep’ – as it happened

Public prosecutor launches inquiry into deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others people in sinking off coast of Italian island

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

7h ago
15.54 BST

Closing summary

Prosecutors said they had opened an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck

Ambrogio Cartosio, public prosecutor in the Sicilian town of Termini Imerese, said he believed it was “probable that offences were committed”

The coastguard’s Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda said the weather on the night of the sinking was “abnormal” but that there “wasn’t anything to suggest there could be an extreme situation arising”

The yacht rolled onto its right side as it sank, and six of the seven bodies recovered were found in cabins on its left, officials said

Prosecutors also said the incident happened “really, really suddenly” and that it was possible the ship was hit by a downburst, a powerful gush of wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out quickly from its area of impact

Sicily yacht sinking: trapped passengers ‘may have died on Bayesian because they were asleep’ – as it happened

Public prosecutor launches inquiry into deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others people in sinking off coast of Italian island

www.theguardian.com

 

[SouthAussie]

I am guessing that this is one of the reasons why the people who were found trapped in one room couldn't make their way out or be led out, nobody would have been able to see a thing in the blackness.


The yacht began taking on water at 4:00am
The yacht was then plunged into darkness, suggesting that water had reached the generator or engine room

Discovered in analysis of the yacht's AIS recording system, and paraphrased from .... https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/n...ws-story/e8658ad432efdfb2026902d3a03917b8?amp

 

[mickey2942]

I knew this would come up eventually...warm water and global warming...

Sicily yacht sinking likely caused by 'downburst'

Officials reveal a freak weather phenomenon is thought to be responsible - but not the one early reports suggested.

www.bbc.com

 

[Corina]

I am guessing that this is one of the reasons why the people who were found trapped in one room couldn't make their way out or be led out, nobody would have been able to see a thing in the blackness.


The yacht began taking on water at 4:00am
The yacht was then plunged into darkness, suggesting that water had reached the generator or engine room

Discovered in analysis of the yacht's AIS recording system, and paraphrased from .... https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/n...ws-story/e8658ad432efdfb2026902d3a03917b8?amp

Wondering if there is emergency lighting aboard that comes on automatically in the event of a loss of electricity, as in an aircraft, or a theatre.

 

[SouthAussie]

Wondering if there is emergency lighting aboard that comes on automatically in the event of a loss of electricity, as in an aircraft, or a theatre.

Good thought. I have been looking for info on the yacht's lighting system, but am not finding anything.

One thing I did notice in an article is that the rescue teams were becoming disoriented below deck, because their lights were bouncing off all of the mirrors aboard the vessel. (Looking for the link again now, have opened too many articles to easily find it)

imo

ETA: Here is one link, though not the one I originally read.

Divers from the specialist fire brigade cave rescue team gave a gripping account of the peculiar difficulties they faced more than 50m below the surface, with the boat on its side, full of floating debris and mirrors reflecting their head torches back at them.

Tragic final moments of the victims of the superyacht disaster

Passengers on the doomed Bayesian superyacht scrambled desperately for the last remaining air pockets as the vessel sank to the seabed, investigators believe.

www.dailymail.co.uk