Sicily yacht sinking: Italian investigators consider manslaughter

Deputy Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano told journalists the Italian Air Force had confirmed the sinking was most likely caused by a downburst.

A downburst is a localised, powerful wind that descends from a thunderstorm, spreading out rapidly upon hitting the ground.

The chief of Palermo’s fire brigade said the Bayesian sank stern-first and then rolled onto its right side. He explained that as a result, the victims then sought refuge on the boat’s left side, where the last air pockets remained as it sank.

Speaking on behalf of the divers, a Palermo fire brigade commander said about 70 people were involved in an “intense” search operation each day, with more than 120 dives undertaken in total.

Raffaele Macauda, deputy commander of the Palermo coastguard, said the owner of the Bayesian had expressed an interest in recovering the vessel from the sea floor, but the timing of this was uncertain.

Some experts have estimated it could take eight weeks to recover the yacht.

An official said the Italian authorities did not have the “exact information” about the yacht’s black box – a device that can record data including a ship’s position, speed, radar information, and sometimes audio.