Prosecutors in Italy have launched an official investigation into the captain of the £30m Bayesian superyacht that sank off Sicily last week, killing British tech billionaire Mike Lynch and six others.
Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, is being investigated for manslaughter and shipwreck, Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera reported.
Being placed under investigation in Italy does not imply guilt and does not necessarily mean that formal charges will be filed.
Six passengers, including Lynch and her 18-year-old daughter Hannah, died along with chef Recaldo Thomas after the British-flagged pleasure yacht capsized and came to rest on its side in 164ft of water in the early hours of Monday.
Although the yacht was hit by a very sudden meteorological event, it is plausible that crimes of multiple homicide and shipwreck due to negligence were committed, said the head of the Termini Imerese prosecutor’s office, Ambrogio Cartosio, on Saturday.
Maritime law gives the captain full responsibility for the ship and crew, as well as for the safety of all on board.
Cutfield and his eight surviving crew members have yet to comment publicly on the disaster.
James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealander, was in charge of the Bayesian when it sank off the coast of Sicily during a storm.
