The sudden sinking of a superyacht off Sicily’s coast that killed seven people, including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his daughter, sparked an investigation into the captain’s actions. Italian prosecutors launched a probe into James Cutfield, the yacht’s 51-year-old captain from New Zealand.
Cutfield is being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck under maritime law, which gives a captain full responsibility for the ship, crew and all on board. The investigation will place the safety of passengers and crew under intense scrutiny.
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Cutfield faced two rounds of questioning, with investigators focusing on the position of the structural beam along the bottom of the boat, the status of the hatch and the timing of the alarm raised as weather conditions deteriorated.
Autopsies are pending, and prosecutors could also seek homicide charges.
The ship sank after a waterspout hit it. The superyacht went down in just 60 seconds and sank 164 feet below the surface, despite being designed to withstand severe weather conditions.
Fifteen of the 22 people aboard the yacht managed to escape.
