A DIVER working on tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s sunken £14million superyacht has died – causing cops to launch a probe.
Robcornelis Maria Huijben Uiben, 39, was pronounced dead on Friday afternoon in Sicily and is believed to have been working for Dutch firm SMIT Salvage.
SplashA diver died during an underwater operation to recover the Bayesien, the sailing ship that sank off the coast of Porticello, Sicily[/caption]
APThe Italian Coast Guard’s Luigi Dattilo CP940 patrol vessel (left) assists Hebo Lift 2 (right) at the site[/caption]
The 184ft £14million superyacht in Sicily before it sank
The diver reportedly died when working alongside other recovery workers to cut the boom of the yacht.
After an unsuccessful attempt using wrenches to cut it, the divers are believed to have used a blow torch.
Local media speculated that the man was hit by part of the cut boom as it came off whilst he was underwater.
But police are still probing what exactly caused the man’s death.
According to other local media reports, an underwater explosion was heard by at least one person before the man was found dead.
Billionaire entrepreneur Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian sank off the coast of the Italian island on August 19.
Around 70 specialist personnel had been mobilised to the fishing village Porticello to work on the gruelling recovery operation, which began earlier this week.
Operations paused when the alarm was raised and the man’s body was recovered.
On the dock, coastguards and the main prosecutor working on the case, Raffaele Cammarano, were present.
The massive vessel is set to be lifted to an upright position and brought to the surface in about two weeks.
SMIT are the operators of the heavy lifting crane that has been brought in along with another support ship to lift the huge yacht.
The horror shipwreck also took the lives of Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer and wife Judy, attorney Chris Morvillo and wife Neda, and the ship’s cook Recaldo Thomas.
Mike Lynch, 59, with his wife Angela Bacares, 57
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