A crew member on Mike Lynch’s yacht, the Bayesian, recounted the tragic events that led to the vessel sinking off Sicily, resulting in the deaths of the British tech tycoon and six others. Matthew Griffiths, who was on watch duty at the time of the disaster, stated that the crew made every effort to rescue those on board. The boat’s captain, James Cutfield, and ship engineer, Tim Parker Eaton, are currently under investigation by Italian authorities for potential manslaughter and shipwreck, although being investigated does not imply guilt or lead to formal charges.
Griffiths described waking the captain when the wind reached 20 knots, leading to the ship tilting and crew members being thrown into the water. Despite the chaos, they managed to rescue as many passengers as possible, including a mother and her one-year-old daughter. Cutfield, who saved the little girl and her mother, exercised his right to remain silent during questioning by prosecutors, citing exhaustion and the need for more time to prepare a defense. Parker Eaton has not commented on the investigation.
Investigators believe the vessel may have been hit by a “downburst,” a powerful downward wind, but maritime experts are puzzled by the rapid sinking of the Bayesian, a high-end yacht built by Italian manufacturer Perini. Prosecutors in Termini Imerese, near Palermo, are conducting a thorough investigation, with the wreck still submerged at sea. The process is expected to take time, as authorities work to salvage the vessel and uncover the full details of the tragic incident.
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