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Bayesian captain questioned for two hours

Search operations continue with ROV, Concordia divers

Redazione Ansa

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 21 - Bayesian captain James Catfield, 51, was questioned by Termini Imerese prosecutors for two hours, ANSA learned on Wednesday.
    Catfield was the skipper of the luxury sailboat that sank at dawn Monday off Porticello near Palermo while the area was hit by a violent tornado.
    State attorneys in Termini Imerese, who have opened an investigation into the accident, questioned the expert skipper on Tuesday night to learn more about technical details that could prove useful to understand what caused the sailboat to sink in just a few minutes, according to sources close to the investigation.
    Magistrates on Wednesday also questioned the other shipwreck survivors at the Domina-Zagarella resort where they are staying.
    Meanwhile operations continued to search for the missing passengers with expert teams of divers, as well as ships and helicopters, coordinated by Palermo coast guards and aided by coast guard divers from Naples and Messina.
    Search operations also include divers who took part in the mission following the deadly shipwreck of the Concordia, the cruise ship that sank in the night between January 13 and 14, 2012.
    The divers are using a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) during their search missions.
    The "robot" is able to operate at a depth of up to 300 metres under water and has an autonomy of six to seven hours - which is very helpful as, due to the depth at which the wreckage sits, about 50 metres, divers can only spend about 12 minutes to search the boat before they need to resurface. (ANSA).
   

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