The captain of the superyacht that sank off the coast of Italy has been questioned by prosecutors investigating the deaths of seven passengers.

The British-flagged superyacht sank in the early hours of last Monday after being struck by a tornado – and led to a five-day search for those missing.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among the seven who died.

The others included Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, American lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda, and the yacht’s on-board chef Reclado Thomas.

Captain James Cutfield and 14 others managed to escape to safety as the yacht sank while anchored off the coast of Porticello, Sicily.

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Sources from the local prosecutor’s office told Sky News the captain, 51, and originally from New Zealand, was under investigation.

Mr Cutfield is being investigated for possible manslaughter and shipwreck charges.

Being under investigation does not imply guilt, however, it may mean he is forbidden from leaving the country, although no such order has been issued yet.

News of the captain being under investigation was first reported by Italian newspapers, la Repubblica and Il Corriere della Sera.

Being under investigation in Italy means authorities will be questioning the captain and assessing evidence before deciding whether or not he should face prosecution.

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Magistrates spoke to Mr Cutfield on Sunday for the second time in a week, questioning him for more than two hours.

Local media reports suggest prosecutors may also investigate a crew member who was on duty when the storm hit and survived the incident.

It comes after prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio said “behaviours that were not perfectly in order” may have been behind the number of deaths at a news conference on Saturday.

He said investigators would focus on “the extent all the people [on board] were warned” of safety procedures.

Responsibility could lie with “all members of the crew… the manufacturers… [or those who were] not surveying or supervising the ship”.

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Read more:
Who was on superyacht that sank off Sicily?
What we know about disaster

But all lines of inquiry were being considered, including the role of the extreme weather that struck the area, he added.

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

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Mr Cutfield and his eight surviving crew members have made no public comment yet on the disaster.

The chief executive of the firm which makes and sells yachts like the Bayesian told Sky News last week that vessels like Mr Lynch’s are “unsinkable”.

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, said there are no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian superyacht which capsized.

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