Dead off Palermo

How the luxury yacht could have sunk

Rescue operation in the sea off Sicily(Bild: AFP/Alberto Pizzoli)

Three days after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily, divers have recovered the bodies of seven people. It is suspected that the ship was caught by a monster wave and was not stable enough in the water. The search for the last victim is continuing.

It isreported that the yacht sank within just 60 seconds. A hatch left open or an incorrectly adjusted centerboard on the hull, with which the draft of the ship can be regulated, are conceivable. For example, open hatches, through which a large amount of water entered the yacht in a short time, could have contributed to the rapid sinking of the Bayesian.

The engines, which were switched off during the storms, and the failure of the system designed to seal the hatches and access to the interior in critical cases could also have led to the accident.

Emergency services in the harbor(Bild: AFP/Alberto Pizzoli)

Rescue operation in the sea(Bild: AFP/Alberto Pizzoli)

Black box under investigation
The public prosecutors investigating the case now want to examine the yacht's black box. They hope this will provide them with information about the cause of the shipwreck, which occurred on Monday at dawn after a strong hurricane. The main assumption at present is that there was a chain of human error.

The Sicilian public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosi is coordinating the investigation. Investigations are underway into shipwreck, disaster, negligent homicide and personal injury.

"Everything was foreseeable"
"The passengers should not have been in the cabins, the ship should not have been anchored. And why wasn't the crew informed about the bad weather forecasts? It was all foreseeable," said Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian shipping company Sea Group. According to him, the incident would not have been a risk if the correct maneuvers had been carried out.

The passengers should not have been in the cabins and the ship should not have been anchored.

Giovanni Costantino, Vorstandsvorsitzender der Reederei Sea Group

The 15 survivors are being represented by a large British law firm, which is seeking compensation, among other things. One of the survivors is Angela Bacares, the 57-year-old wife of British high-tech billionaire Mike Lynch, who himself died in the accident. 

Search for last victim continues
Divers entered the ship's hull to search for Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of Michael Lynch. So far, six bodies have been recovered from the hull of the sailing ship.