Sources close to the situation said on Wednesday that the superyacht, which sank in Sicily last April and killed British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, as well as six other people, would be recovered after its mast was dismantled. The salvage operation is expected to start around the middle of the month. The British-flagged Bayesian could be recovered lying on its back at a depth around 50 meters (164 feet) in a salvage operation that is likely to begin after the middle of April, according to a source close to the matter.

Lynch's daughter was among the 22 people on board. Lynch's daughter died along with the other victims.

Sources said that the Italian prosecutors and Coastguards selected a project for recovery led by TMC Marine Consultants Ltd. This involves removing the mast of 72 metres from the water, separately from the rest the vessel.

TMC didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.

Source: Other salvage plans that involved turning the 55.9 metre yacht, weighing 534 tons, nearly 90 degrees on seabed, without dismantling the mast, were rejected due to their complexity.

Three crew members are under investigation by prosecutors in Termini Imerese near Palermo: Captain James Cutfield and ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton.

The suspects are suspected of manslaughter, and they may have caused a shipwreck. However, being investigated in Italy doesn't imply guilt or mean that formal charges will be filed.

The investigation would not be complete until the boat was removed from the water, according to prosecutors.

After the Bayesian is raised and repositioned on the seabed, it will be transported to Palermo (about 8.4 nautical mile away) to investigate what caused the accident and to recover any sensitive information on board. (Reporting and writing by Wladimir Pantalone; editing by Keith Weir, Paul Simao and Giselda Vasgnoni)

(source: Reuters)