Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was found alone in her own cabin 50 metres below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea after the yacht she was on sank, rescuers said.

Five others, including her father, were found in a separate compartment on the Bayesian superyacht, fire chief Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra told reporters this morning at a conference in Termini Imerese, a town near where the ship sank.

The Bayesian ship tipped onto its side as it sank. According to Fire Chief Fiandra, it was clear to divers that the victims of the disaster had tried to take cover in the side of the ship that faced the surface before they died.

Public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio confirmed that it was a case of “manslaughter” after initial investigations into the shipwreck on Monday, August 19.

However, he stressed to reporters that the investigation was still in its early stages – but seemed to suggest that there were questions for the Bayesian’s crew to answer. The captain, James Cutfield, has already been questioned by investigators.

Hannah pictured with her father, who had just been acquitted of fraud in the US.

Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, was found dead in her own cabin 50 metres below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea

Public prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio (center) confirmed that it was a case of “manslaughter” after initial investigations into the sinking on Monday, August 19

Fire Chief Girolamo Bentivoglio Fiandra

Rescue workers stand by after recovering the body of Hannah Lynch off the coast of Porticello yesterday

Fire Chief Mr. Fiandra said: ‘You may want to know where we recovered the bodies of the victims. I can tell you… that the ship sank and ended up on its right side on the bottom of the sea.

‘It is clear that people tried to hide in the huts on the left. We found the first five bodies in the first hut on the left and the last body in the third hut on the left.

“There were six cabins: three on the left side and three on the right side. We found them at the highest point of the ship, towards the surface.”

Mr Cartosio told reporters that Italy’s civil code prohibited him from releasing any further information about the search while it was ongoing, stressing that he personally believed it created “significant obstacles” to transparency with the public.

The Bayesian sank in the early hours of Monday morning, with emergency services being alerted shortly after 4.30am. Mr Cartosio added that it quickly became apparent that it would be “impossible” to rescue those trapped in the yacht as it sank to the seabed.

He told reporters: ‘The Termini Imerese Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a case based on the hypothesis of shipwreck and manslaughter, but we are still at the initial stage of the investigation.’

He added: ‘Normally a prosecutor would not be happy to provide this information at this stage, precisely because developments can still change.

“We can’t rule anything out at all, but what, there’s been a lot of media attention regarding the people involved. But at the same time I think it’s right to anticipate the developments of this investigation which can be very variable.”

The prosecutor added that it would be “painful” if, theoretically, “this tragedy, this terrible tragedy, was caused by behavior that was not entirely in line with the responsibility that everyone (on) the ship had to have.”

Recaldo Thomas, chef on the Bayesian, was the first person rescued after the yacht sank Monday

Judy and Jonathan Bloomer died on the Bayesian when it capsized in the water

The bodies of Neda and Chris Morvillo, pictured in 2018, were recovered earlier this week

Both the hull and the superstructure, the part above the main deck, were made of aluminum

Divers entering the water on August 23 to find the body of Hannah Lynch in a photo distributed by the Italian coast guard

The main question investigators are focusing on is how a sailing ship considered “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, the Italian shipyard Perini Navi, could sink while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

A total of 27 divers, including 11 cave experts and eight deep-sea divers, were called in to assist in the underwater search, which lasted a total of 72 hours and involved 123 dives.

Hannah and her father Mike Lynch, along with Morgan Stanley International Bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance attorney Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, died when the yacht sank around 5 a.m. local time on Monday.

The family of Mr Lynch and Hannah said in a statement: ‘The Lynch family are devastated and in shock but are being comforted and supported by family and friends.

Their thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.

‘They would like to sincerely thank the Italian coast guard, the emergency services and everyone who helped in the rescue operation.

“Their only request now is that their privacy be respected at this time of unspeakable grief.”

The Lynch family also released a photo of Mr. Lynch and Hannah in their tribute.

Hannah’s sister Esme also offered her praise: ‘Hannah would often storm into my bedroom and lie down with me.

‘Sometimes beaming with a smile, sometimes cheeky, sometimes asking for advice.

‘No matter what happened, she brought me boundless love.

‘She was endlessly caring, passionately angry, unintentionally hilarious, and the most amazing, supportive, and joyful sister and best friend to me.

‘And most of all, she had so much more love to give endlessly to all her friends and passion to devote to her great studies and goals.

“She’s my little angel, my star.”

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian coastguard said the search for Hannah was not “easy or fast”, comparing the sunken yacht to “an 18-storey building full of water”.

The bodies of all six missing passengers have now been brought ashore in the small fishing village of Porticello, about 18 kilometres from the Sicilian capital Palermo.

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

The body of Canadian-Antiguan citizen Recaldo Thomas, who worked as a cook on the superyacht, was found at the scene of the sinking on Monday.

The boat trip was a celebration of Mr Lynch’s acquittal in a US fraud case.

The businessman, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was cleared in June of large-scale fraud relating to the $11bn (£8.64bn) sale of his software to US company Hewlett Packard.

This is a developing story. More to come.