The sinking of the yacht belonging to British tech tycoon Mike Lynch has caused the death of seven people, including the owner of the boat, off the coast of Sicily. This Sunday, September 1, Italian media revealed that the sailor on watch the night of the tragedy had indeed raised the alarm.
The sailor on watch during the sinking of the yacht Bayesian in Sicily, owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, raised the alarm due to adverse weather conditions. According to Italian media, Matthew Griffith monitored the wind, which reached 20 knots (nearly 40 km/h) and immediately woke the captain.
“I monitored the weather conditions all evening, especially the wind, and immediately woke the captain who took charge of operations. He gave the order to wake all the others” he explained.
The alert given
The tragedy, which occurred on August 19, resulted in the death of Mike Lynch, 59, and six other people. Italian prosecutors are investigating possible crimes of shipwreck and involuntary manslaughter.
Captain James Cutfield, a New Zealander and one of the 15 survivors, confirmed that he had been awakened by Griffith. “I ordered the others to be informed because I did not like the situation”he told Corriere della Sera.
The boat then tilted suddenly, taking several crew members out to sea. “We managed to get back on board and we tried to make a human chain to save those who reached the bridge”Griffith said. He said the captain was first in line and “helped everyone, the ladies, the mother with her little girl”.
Mini tornado
The sinking was caused by a mini-tornado while the 56-metre yacht was anchored off Porticello, near Palermo. The cook’s body was found shortly afterwards, and those of Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter, and four others were recovered by divers in the following days.
