Two more crew members under investigation over sunken Sicily superyacht

Two more crew members of the superyacht that sunk off the coast of Sicily are being investigated, Italian court sources have confirmed.

Ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton and sailor Matthew Griffith are being investigated for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck.

Parker Eaton is also suspected of having failed to protect the yacht's engine room and operating systems, while Griffith was on watch duty the night of the incident.

British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among the seven people killed when the Bayesian, a 56-metre-long yacht, was caught in a storm on August 19. The vessel's chef, Recaldo Thomas has also been confirmed dead.

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The captain, New Zealander James Cutfield, is already under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck.

Under Italian law, being under investigation doesn’t imply wrongdoing and doesn’t necessarily lead to criminal charges. He is not in custody, according to Italian prosecutors, but he cannot leave the country while the investigation is ongoing.

Maritime law gives a captain full responsibility for the ship, crew, and all on board.

Investigators have warned that the circumstances of the yacht's sinking remain largely unclear, including whether there was a black box onboard the ship, and if some of the ship’s hatches were left ajar – which could explain why it sank so rapidly.

One of the main questions being considered is how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

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