James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand national, was one of 15 people who survived the sinking of the Bayesian, which left seven people dead, including UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

Prosecutors in Sicily on Saturday announced they were investigating potential crimes of negligent shipwreck and manslaughter over the sinking of the yacht in a storm on Monday, August 19th.

They did not name any suspects and stressed that the investigation was at an early stage.

The prosecutor’s office did not respond to AFP requests for comment on Monday.

Lynch, a 59-year-old British tech entrepreneur and investor, had invited friends and family onto the boat to celebrate his recent acquittal in a massive US fraud case.

But the 56-metre yacht was struck by something akin to a mini-tornado as it was anchored off the harbour of Porticello, near Palermo.

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The body of the yacht’s cook was found shortly afterwards, and six people – including the businessman and his daughter – were reported missing.

Following a major search operation, divers pulled up the bodies of four of Lynch’s friends on Wednesday, that of Lynch himself on Thursday, and finally that of Hannah on Friday.

The yacht currently lies on its side on the seabed, some 50 metres underwater.

All six bodies were found in the cabins closest to the surface – five in one and Hannah’s body in another.