Superyacht sinking: Manslaughter investigation launched over bodies recovered from wreckage - five in one room

The tech mogul and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among six bodies recovered this week, after the luxury yacht Bayesian sank off the coast of Sicily at about 5am Monday in local time. PA reports that the body of one of the yacht’s chefs was recovered at the scene on Monday.

Now public prosecutors for the nearby town of Termini Imerese has announced in a press conference that his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter and negligent shipwreck, against “unknown persons”. The yacht is currently believed to have sunk after it was caught in severe winds.

Five of the people recovered from the wreckage, which also include, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, were all found in one room which was not theirs, prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano added. “We have no idea of the reasons for their all being found in the same cabin.”

He said that the reason they may not have escaped while others did may have been because “they were asleep whereas the others weren’t”. Asked if there was anyone available to alert them, he said: “That is precisely what we are trying to ascertain from the statements made during the interrogation of the survivors - an essential point in the inquiry obviously.”

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio told reporters he thought it was “probable that offences were committed” surrounding the sinking of the yacht. It could be that the sinking could have been the responsibility of the captain, crew, individuals in charge of supervision, the ship-builder, or someone else. “We will establish each element’s responsibility - that will be done by the inquiry, so we can’t do that prematurely.”

Cartosio added that the surviving crew were under no obligation to remain in Sicily, “but they should be available for the investigation”. Officials were trying to conduct drug and alcohol tests on crew members as well.

The family of Mr Lynch and daughter Hannah have also paid tribute to their loved ones, saying: “The Lynch family is devastated, in shock and is being comforted and supported by family and friends. Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.

“They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coastguard, emergency services and all those who helped in the rescue,” the family continued in a statement. “Their one request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.”

Hannah’s sister Esme paid her own tribute, saying: “Hannah often burst into my bedroom and lay down with me. Sometimes beaming with a smile, sometimes cheeky, sometimes for advice. No matter what, she brought boundless love to me.

“She was endlessly caring, passionately mad, unintentionally hilarious and the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me,” she said. “And on top of all this, she had even more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to give to her incredible studies and goals. She is my little angel, my star.”

Vincenzo Zagarola, of the Italian Coastguard, previously said the search for Hannah was not “easy or quick”, comparing the sunken yacht with an “18-storey building full of water”, PA reports. The bodies of all six missing passengers were taken to shore in the small fishing village of Porticello, about 11 miles from the Sicilian capital of Palermo.

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15, including Mr Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat. The boat trip had reportedly been a celebration of Mr Lynch’s acquittal in a fraud case in the US.