The final body has been retrieved from the wreck of the Bayesian super-yacht which sank early in the morning of 19 August, after being hit by a freak storm near Palermo in Sicily.

Five bodies had been brought ashore after painstaking work by divers, but the sixth of those who remained onboard the vessel when it went down, had proved difficult to locate.

It was reported to be that of 18-year-old Hannah Lynch – the daughter of Mike Lynch the British entrepreneurial owner of the yacht – and was located early on 23 August, before being brought back to the surface.

Mr Lynch also lost his life along with four of his friends, who were also trapped inside their cabins when the Bayesian sank.

A seventh person to perish was the boat’s on-board chef, who was a Canadian-born Antiguan citizen and was the only crew member to die.

All the bodies have been taken to local mortuaries for formal identification and for post-mortems to be carried out.

Investigators have interviewed the captain, James Cutfield, at length as there are many questions to answer over whether the necessary measures amid violent weather warnings, had been taken.

Incredibly difficult recovery

A spokesperson for the the Italian coastguard, Vincenzo Zagarola, spoke afterwards of just how difficult the operation had been, and likened it to searching an “8-storey building full of water” in almost total darkness.

Technology helps find bodies

All six bodies recovered from the wreck are believed to have been found in their cabins and after a fruitless first few days immediately after the search began, the first five were all located pretty quickly, thanks largely to the use of remote controlled underwater vehicles – known as ROV’s – which have advanced technology fitted to allow extended periods of searching underwater.

The brave divers had been restricted to just 10-minute spells making their efforts long and exhausting.

Official statements likely to follow

According to Italian law, all the bodies need to be formally identified by a family member, or a person close to the victims, before the deaths can be officially certified.

Therefore, it may be that the authorities had been waiting for the discovery of the final body before any sort of official announcement is made.

Tributes from family and friends

Tributes have been coming in for Ms Lynch, as well as her father. Hannah had been offered a place to study English at the University of Oxford, and her former school in London posted a message saying: “We are all incredibly shocked by this news.”

A former classmate, Gracie Lea said she would always remember her friend’s smile and described her as “easy to love, sincere, dedicated, fiercely intelligent and genuinely kind.”

The Lynch family issued a statement in which they told of their shock and how they were being comforted and supported by family and friends. They thanked everyone involved in the rescue of the others onboard and the operation to recover the bodies of their loved ones.

Seven people lost their lives

The other five people to die in this tragic incident are: Recaldo Thomas, an Antiguan citizen, who was working as the vessel’s on-board chef and whose body was found very quickly after the sinking; Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer; Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, and his wife Neda Morvillo.

Yacht trip was a celebration

Earlier this year, Mr Lynch had been cleared of fraud in the United States, arising from the sale of his firm Autonomy to tech giant Hewlett Packard. The legal battle lasted a full decade and led to his extradition from the UK.

It is understood that the gathering on his yacht was a celebration and thank you from Mr Lynch to Mr Bloomer, who spoke up for him at his trial, and Mr Morvillo, who represented him.

Shocking coincidence

In a remarkable and incredibly grim coincidence, one of Mr Lynch’s co-defendants at his US trial and his former vice-president of finance, Stephen Chamberlain, was hit by a car while out running in the UK just two days before the Bayesian capsized.

He was placed on a life-support machine and died just a few hours after the yacht sank in the violent storm.

Captain in the spotlight

The captain of the Bayesian, 51-year-old New-Zealander James Cutfield, was rescued shortly after the yacht went down and is said to be “very well respected” in the Mediterranean. He has been a luxury yacht captain for eight years, working for a Turkish billionaire before joining the Bayesian.

Nevertheless, he will now come under great scrutiny, with several experts questioning his actions ahead of the sinking, particularly as there had been a weather-warning several hours in advance.

Expert questions actions

Giovanni Costantino, chief executive of the firm that built the yacht, said it was “absurd” that passengers on the yacht were still in their cabins. “Local fishermen saw the storm was coming, why did no-one on board the Bayesian realise?” he asked.

He went on to say: “They should have jettisoned the anchor, started the engine, pointed the bows to the wind and put the keel down. If they had done that, no-one on board would have been afraid, they would have been back to bed in an hour and ready to push on with their voyage.”