Mike Lynch yacht sinking tragedy update as manslaughter probe is​ launched into deaths of seven people

A manslaughter investigation has been opened after seven people died following the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily, an Italian prosecutor said.

British tech mogul Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were among seven people recovered.

Speaking at a press conference, Chief Prosecutor of Termini Imerese, Ambrogio Cartosio said investigators “cannot exclude anything at all” and that it “could be a question of homicide”.

He said that his office has opened an initial investigation into manslaughter.

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15, including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued after escaping on to a lifeboat.

Girolamo Bentivoglio said that specialised divers attempting to retrieve the bodies had to deal with “very little visibility due to the weather conditions”.

The search-and-rescue operation involved “some 70 people” each day.

More to follow…