Italian Authorities Currently Don’t Have Anyone ‘Under Investigation’ over Luxury Yacht Sinking

Mar. 15, 2025

A photo of a police car as the search continues for the six missing people after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.Photo:ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty

ALESSANDRO FUCARINI/AFP via Getty

The Italian authorities currently don’t have anyone under investigation as the search continues for thesix people who remain missingafter a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily.

A source close to the investigators dealing with the incident tells PEOPLE that the “priority” is to search for and locate the missing people before the authorities look into what happened amid the tragedy.

“Obviously the priority is being able to work out what has happened to those that are missing and recover any bodies. At the moment, no one has been placed under investigation because until they find the bodies, they cannot evaluate any sort of accusation or charge,” the source tells PEOPLE.

A photo of the ‘Bayesian’.PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

PERINI NAVI PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“But one thing that is striking is that nine out of 10 survivors are crew members. So once this phase is complete, there will be an attempt made to determine whether there were any incorrect maneuvers or negligence on the part of those managing the yacht, in order to determine whether there were any responsibilities in terms of what happened,” the source added.

A rescue operations sourcealso told PEOPLE"it’s unlikely anyone will be found during the course of today [Aug. 21]," due to the vessel being “designed differently from traditional ones in that the main cabins are at the stern.”

“There’s very much hope for a miracle; everyone expects them to be trapped inside, but the hope is for there to be some form of air pocket,” the source added.

Firefighters continue their search for the missing people.DAPRESS/SplashNews

DAPRESS/SplashNews

The missing passengers include British tech entrepreneurMike Lynchand his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, along with New York City-based lawyerChristopher Morvillo— whohelped Lynch get acquittedin hisrecent fraud case— and his wife Neda.

A source close to the survivorspreviously told PEOPLEthe group had traveled to the Aeolian Islands to celebrate the legal victory.

Morgan Stanley International chairmanJonathan Bloomerand his wife are also missing. Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares was one of the 15 passengers rescued, along withCharlotte Golunski, who previously opened up about saving her 1-year-old daughter Sophie.

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“I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning,” Golunski told Italian newspaperla Repubblica, according to a translation.

According to Italian media outlets, perReuters, a man’s body was found after the sinking and later identified as the yacht’s chef.

source: people.com