Prosecutors open manslaughter investigation into sunken superyacht
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.
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.”
Twenty-two people were onboard the 184-foot Bayesian when a sudden and violent storm struck before dawn on Monday, Aug. 19. Divers embarked on a challenging rescue operation, recovering seven bodies from the wreckage. The vessel was anchored about a half-mile offshore when it sank, leaving divers to search its hull on the seabed 164 feet underwater.
There were 15 survivors, including all but one of the ship's crew.
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