The father of Kiwi lawyer Ayla Ronald says she's "very shaken" after being rescued from the ill-fated Bayesian off the coast of Sicily. Video / Vigil del Fueco / Gettyimages
Italian authorities have opened a manslaughter investigation following the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht off the coast of Sicily that claimed seven lives, according to Italian media.
The latest development comes as a body believed to be that of tech billionaire Mike Lynch’s daughter Hannah has been recovered from the wreckage, the Italian coastguard told The Telegraph.
More details from the prosecutor’s office of Termini Imerese, led by Ambrogio Cartosio, are expected to be revealed at a press conference. The investigators are looking into offences of “shipwreck and multiple counts of culpable homicide against an unknown person”, according to Palermo Today.
According to Italian media outlet Giornale Di Sicilia, Cutfield was questioned for two hours while prosecutors attempted to piece together the superyacht’s final moments.
Search and rescue teams diving off the coast of Palermo, Sicily. Photo / Vigil Fuoco
Cutfield’s brother Mark told the Herald his brother was a “very good sailor” and was “very well respected” in the Mediterranean.
The Bayesian was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and was last refitted in 2020, and was managed by yachting company Camper & Nicholsons.
It won a string of awards for its design and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and a crew of 10, according to online specialist yacht sites.
James Cutfield, the Kiwi captain of S/Y Bayesian, the superyacht that capsized off Palermo. Photo / Perini Navi / Facebook
Formerly know as Salute, or health in Italian, its 75m mast is the tallest aluminium mast in the world, Perini said on its website.
The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening, with a navigation status of “at anchor”, according to vessel tracking app Vesselfinder.