Significant concentrations of carbon monoxide emissions, originating from one of the vessel’s power batteries, were reportedly detected during inspections ordered by the Tempio Pausania Prosecutor’s Office aboard the boat where 21-year-old Giovanni Marchionni of Bacoli was found dead last August 8th in Portisco, Costa Smeralda.
The discovery was made last evening during the on-site inspection by experts appointed by the investigators, as well as those hired by the Marchionni family and the boat’s owner. During the technical assessment, conducted with the engines running and the air conditioning system active, the team of experts appointed by Tempio Pausania Prosecutor Gregorio Capasso and Deputy Prosecutor Milena Aucone focused their attention on the batteries installed near the bow of the 17-meter vessel, those closest to the cabin where the young man’s body was discovered.
In particular, one of the batteries, intended to power a bow thruster, revealed carbon monoxide emissions at concentrations above the threshold limit, both in the technical compartment and within the sailor’s cabin itself.
“This is an extremely relevant finding that strengthens the hypothesis of death by intoxication,” commented the Marchionni family’s lawyer, Maurizio Capozzo. “If confirmed by the toxicological tests performed during the autopsy, it would definitively clarify the causes of what we have always defined a workplace accident.”
In recent hours, Neapolitan investigators, acting on behalf of the Sardinian prosecutor’s office, have heard from numerous witnesses who knew Giovanni Marchionni to seek confirmation of the hypothesis that the young man was working illegally for the female shipowner from Bacoli. This theory has been supported from the outset by the victim’s family, who provided investigators with a series of corroborating details.
Investigations by INAIL (the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work) are also ongoing regarding this aspect, both in Bacoli and in Sardinia, where an inspector has been sent to carry out all relevant checks concerning Giovanni Marchionni’s death.
In the coming days, the team of experts—engineer Giuseppe Salvatore Mangano for the Prosecutor’s Office, engineers Antonio Scamardella, Filippo Scamardella, and Sebastiano Ackermann for the victim’s family, and engineer Massimo Simeone for the boat owner—will continue their work with further checks to verify whether the examined batteries were installed by the original shipyard or fitted at a later date.
The results of the technical report and the autopsy are expected to be filed within 90 days. The investigation is currently still registered against unknown persons, but developments are not ruled out in the coming days.