Divers and special forces robots search British billionaire Mike Lynch’s sunken Bayesian yacht for clues as to why it sank

An elite Italian navy unit sends divers and robots to the wreck of British tech magnate Mike Lynch’s superyacht to investigate the tragic shipwreck that killed seven people.

Lynch’s yacht, the Bayesian, currently lies more than 160 feet beneath the waters around Porticello, Sicily, after sinking in the early morning of August 19.

Seven people, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who was due to start at Oxford University later this month, died after a violent storm hit the Sicilian port city.

Investigators have raised questions about how the £30 million ship, which was more than 180ft long, sank so quickly that seven of the 22 people on board died.

In an attempt to answer these questions, the Italian navy is sending six divers from its elite unit Comsubin, the equivalent of Britain’s Special Boat Service, to the Times.

The elite divers will search for electronic equipment, including CCTV and data storage, and see if any doors were left open when the ship sank.

Lynch’s yacht, the Bayesian (pictured), currently lies more than 160 feet beneath the waters around Porticello, Sicily

Seven people, including Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah (both pictured), died after a freak storm hit the Sicilian port city

This evidence will be used to “verify the statements of the yacht’s crew,” the source told the newspaper.

The ship’s captain, 51-year-old New Zealander Cutfield, is one of three people being investigated by authorities following last month’s tragedy.

Chief Engineer Tim Parker Eaton, 56, and Matthew Griffiths, 22, are both British and, like the captain, are both also being investigated for their alleged involvement in the deaths of the seven people on board the Bayesian.

According to the autopsy, four victims suffered asphyxiation, probably dying in air bubbles that filled with carbon dioxide.

According to the Italian news agency La Republica, autopsies have been performed on the victims at the Policlinico hospital in Palermo so far. They have shown that there was no water in their lungs, suggesting that they were conscious when the yacht sank.

An Italian news agency claimed that the couple’s lungs “were not full of water, nor were their stomachs or tracheas”

The first autopsies were performed on attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda (both pictured) and the autopsy also found no water in their lungs.

Recaldo Thomas, chef on the Bayesian, was the first person rescued after the yacht sank

The British-flagged Bayesian superyacht (pictured) was registered to an Isle of Man company called Revton

The £30 million vessel sank on August 19 off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily at Porticello, near Palermo.

A handout photo provided on August 19 by the Perini Navi Press Office shows the ‘Bayesian’ sailboat in Palermo, Sicily, Italy

According to Italian media, Jonathan Bloomer, the 70-year-old chairman of Morgan Stanley International, his wife Judy, as well as New York lawyer Chris Morvillo and his partner Neda showed no signs of injury.

Mike Lynch’s autopsy revealed that he died of asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen. His daughter Hanna’s autopsy was inconclusive.

Initial investigations of Canadian-Antiguan chef Recaldo Thomas revealed that he died by drowning.

Although Cutfield, Eaton and Griffiths are all being investigated by the local prosecutor in Termini Imerese, this does not mean that any charges will be filed.

Once the investigation is completed and the evidence is presented to them, a magistrate will decide whether the suspects should stand trial.

Authorities expect it will take at least two to three days to remove the yacht from the bottom of Porticello.

The work is being carried out by the vessel’s owner, British company Revton, which is controlled by Angela Bacares, Mr Lynch’s widow.

They have reportedly commissioned Genoa-based diving company Drafinsub to use sonar and an underwater robot to survey the yacht and determine the best plan to raise it.