Crew members of the Bayesian superyacht which sank off the coast of Italy told how they ‘were walking on the walls’ of the tilted ship to ‘save who we could’.
An investigation is underway into how the luxury vessel went down near Sicily, killing seven people including British tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.
Matthew Griffiths, 22, was on watch duty when the storm hit and told prosectors how he ‘woke the captain up when the wind was blowing at 20 knots,’ according to Italy’s Ansa news agency.
‘He ordered to wake everyone else up. I then stored away the pillows and plants, closed the windows of the sitting room in the bow and some hatches.’
He continued that the ship ’tilted and we fell into the water. We were then able to climb back on and we tried to save those we could.’
The captain managed to rescue ‘the little girl and her mother’, he added, thought to be a reference to yacht guest Charlotte Golunski, 36, who was earlier reported to have held her one-year-old daughter’s head above the water to save her.
Prosecutors in Italy have opened in a wide investigation into the circumstances of the sinking.
The ship’s captain, New Zealander James Cutfield, is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges.
Tim Parker Eaton, the engineer who was in charge of securing the yacht’s engine room, and Matthew Griffith, are under investigation for the same possible charges, their lawyer said.
Lawyer Mario Scopesi said: ‘The profile of their possible responsibilities is still unclear, as the investigation has just started.’
He added that both Parker Eaton and Griffith left Italy on Wednesday, along with Cutfield and the rest of the crew.
Under the Italian legal system, no guilt is implied with an individual being officially under investigation and it does not mean there will be formal charges to follow.
Investigators are focusing on how a sailing vessel deemed ‘unsinkable’ by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.
Prosecutors said the sinking was ‘extremely rapid’ and could have been due to a ‘downburst’ – a localized, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out rapidly on hitting the ground.
All crew members survived except for the chef, but six passengers were trapped in the yacht’s hull and died.
The captain’s lawyer Aldo Mordiglia said of his client: ‘He just exercised his right to remain silent, probably prosecutors were expecting that.’
Mr Mordiglia added that the captain’s legal team has just been named and needs time to work on his defensive strategy.
The Bayesian is expected to be raised from the seabed costing at least £15 million in order to find more clarity on what led to the disaster.
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