ROME: A crew member on Mike Lynch’s yacht has spoken of being thrown into the water and efforts to rescue passengers as a storm sank the vessel off Sicily last week, in a disaster that killed the British tech tycoon and six other people.

Matthew Griffiths, who was on watch duty on the night of the tragedy, told investigators that the crew members did everything they could to save those on board the Bayesian, according to comments reported by Italian news agency Ansa.

Griffiths, the boat’s captain James Cutfield, and ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton have been placed under investigation by the Italian authorities for potential manslaughter and shipwreck. Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow. “I woke up the captain when the wind was at 20 knots (23 mph/37 kph). He gave orders to wake everyone else,” Ansa quoted Griffiths as saying.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2024