Captain of sunken superyacht placed under investigation

Italian prosecutors have placedunder investigation the captain of the superyacht that sank offSicily last week in a storm, killing British tech magnate MikeLynch and six other people, a judicial source said on Monday.

James Cutfield, a 51-year old New Zealand national, is beinginvestigated for manslaughter and shipwreck, the source said,confirming earlier reports by Italian media.

Being placed under investigation in Italy does not implyguilt and does not mean formal charges will necessarily follow.Notices to people under investigation need to be sent out beforeauthorities can carry out the autopsies on the bodies of thedead.

The decision was made after Cutfield was interrogated for asecond time. Reuters has been unable to contact Cutfield.

It is still unclear whether other members of the crew orother people will also be put under investigation along with thecaptain.

Six killed in shipwreck

The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-metre-longyacht, was carrying 22 people when it capsized and sank onMonday within minutes of being hit by a pre-dawn storm whileanchored off northern Sicily.

Fifteen people survived, including Lynch's wife, whosecompany owned the Bayesian. Lynch's 18-year-old daughter,Hannah, was among the victims.

While the yacht had been hit by a sudden meteorologicalevent, it was plausible that crimes of multiple manslaughter andcausing a shipwreck through negligence had been committed, thehead of the public prosecutor's office of Termini Imerese,Ambrogio Cartosio, said on Saturday.

WATCH |How did the Bayesian superyacht sink so quickly? Experts analyze the reasons:

How the Bayesian superyacht sank in minutes | About That

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An investigation is underway to determine why a superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily, killing seven on board. Lauren Bird breaks down expert analysis about the speed at which it sank and explores whether more could have been done to prevent it.

Maritime law gives a captain full responsibility for theship, crewand all on board.

Cutfield and his eight surviving crew members have made nopublic comment yet on the disaster.

"The Bayesian was built to go to sea in any weather," FrancoRomani, a nautical architect who was part of its design team,told daily La Stampa in an interview published onMonday.

He said the yacht could have taken on water from a sidehatch that was left open.