Shipwreck off Palermo: Six survivors return to London

The widow of the late billionaire Mike Lynch has also left Sicily. The Italian prosecutor's office is investigating manslaughter in connection with the incident that killed seven people.

Six of the 15 survivors of the shipwreck off Palermo, Sicily, left on Sunday. Italian media reported that they boarded a private jet in Palermo bound for London. Among them was Angela Parkers, wife of businessman Mike Lynch and mother of Hannah, both of whom died in the sinking. The 57-year-old was the owner of the sunken luxury yacht.

Nine crew members remain in Palermo, including New Zealand captain James Cutfield, who will be questioned again in the coming days, Termini Imerese prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said. Seven people died in the shipwreck.

The Public Prosecution is investigating the crime of involuntary manslaughter.

The Italian prosecutor's office is investigating the incident as manslaughter. The investigation is not currently directed against a single person, the chief prosecutor of the Sicilian city of Termini Imerese, who is investigating the case, told a news conference on Saturday.

The ship sank in less than a minute after a sudden storm. It was a “sudden weather event” that meteorologists had not anticipated, Cartosio said.

“The water must have entered the Baysi through an open side hatch, otherwise it would never have sunk,” Franco Romani, a member of the Perini Navi project office, the builder of the sunken yacht, told the daily Quotidiano Nazionale (Sunday edition). “I think she left the side hatch open after the party on board. If you close everything, the water can’t get in: in extreme conditions the boat can shake, but it won’t sink. That’s why I think the side hatch you use to get the dinghy out was left open.” The expert confirmed that when the ship began to slide, tons of water entered the Baysi area and eventually entered the engine room.

Private companies must come to the rescue.

The “Bayzi” must be saved. Contact has already been made with private companies that can carry out the rescue operation. The first step is to empty the fuel tanks to avoid environmental damage. The rescue plan must then be submitted to the Italian authorities. Prosecutor Cartosio explained that the rescue operation was necessary for environmental reasons, among other things.

In addition to Lynch and his daughter, the dead included senior executive at Morgan Stanley International, Jonathan Plummer, and his wife Anne Elizabeth, and lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Nada. The body of the cook who was on board the plane was found on Monday. (APA)