A diver has died during work to recover the sunken Bayesian superyacht off the coast of Sicily, local police have said.
The incident happened while the man was underwater during preliminary operations to recover the vessel on Friday, police said, adding that the cause of death was unknown as yet.
An attempt to lift the yacht off the sea bed is expected later this month and should help shed light on how the 56-metre-long (184ft) vessel disappeared into the sea.
The yacht was owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch who was among seven people – including his 18-year-old daughter Hannah – who died when the Bayesian sank on 19 August last year.
About 70 specialist personnel have been mobilised to the village of Porticello in Sicily from across Europe to work on the recovery operation, which began earlier this week.
Work to move the Bayesian into an upright position and lift it to the surface was due to begin in under two weeks, subject to suitable weather and sea conditions.
British marine consultancy TMC Marine, which is overseeing the operation to raise the vessel, has been approached for comment by the PA news agency.
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Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, who were all British nationals.
The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel.
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Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued.
The fatal boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynch’s acquittal in a US trial after he was accused of a massive fraud over the sale of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
