A diver died on Friday during preliminary operations to recover British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s superyacht from the waters off the coast of northern Sicily, local police said.
The 56-meter-long (184-foot) Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August last year when it was likely hit by a downburst, a very strong downward wind, killing seven people, including Lynch and his daughter Hannah.
The accident happened on Friday happened while the diver was underwater in Porticello, police said, adding that the precise cause of death was still unknown.
The attempt to lift the yacht off the sea bed is expected later this month and should help shed light on how a supposedly unsinkable vessel disappeared into the sea.
Italian news agencies reported that the diver was a 39-year-old Dutch national who worked for the Dutch specialist salvage company Hebo Maritiemservice.
Hebo was not immediately available for comment.