It is investigating offences of shipwreck and multiple culpable homicide – similar to the charge of manslaughter in the UK – against unknown persons, according to Italian media.
Cops have been scouring videos and photographs taken on the night of the storm by locals, as well as CCTV footage of the port, according to local reports.
Italian outlet Palermo Today said coastguard officials have visited all of the homes and public places with surveillance cameras pointed out to sea in the area.
The Prosecutor’s Office are also reviewing the actions and decisions made by the Bayesian’s Captain James Cutfield, 51, and Matthew Griffith, 22, who is understood to be the first officer, according to local newspaper Palermo Today.
Out of 22 onboard the luxury vessel, 15 survived and six have been confirmed dead so far with one still missing.
And investigators are also analysing the boat’s Automatic Identification System (AIS), essentially its black box, to work out what exactly happened as it sank.
Four bodies were recovered by specialist divers on Wednesday, with a fifth brought into the harbour on Thursday.
The vessel’s chef Recaldo Thomas was found dead in the water soon after the boat capsized on Monday.
The five found on the boat were identified as British tech tycoon Mike Lynch , Morgan Stanley boss Jonathan Bloomer and wife Judy, and Clifford Chance lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda.
The body of Mike Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah, who received her A-Level results last week, is yet to be found by divers.
Eight of the specialist divers searching for the missing student are understood to be using a Nitrox air mix in their tanks – which is made up of more Oxygen and less nitrogen, according to Italian newspaper Rai News.
This reduces the risk of decompression sickness and allows them to dive deeper and for longer periods of time.
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