Why search of superyacht wreck has been so difficult

Marco Tilotta, a diver who has been coordinating the search and rescue, said teams have been working continuously since Monday but conditions below the water have been “prohibitive”.

The British-flagged superyacht is still largely intact on the seabed, but the 50m depth to which it sank makes it difficult to access.

“The longer you stay, the slower your ascent has to be,” says Simon Rogerson, the editor of SCUBA magazine.

The 56-metre-long vessel is currently lying on its right side, meaning there are few points of entry. Divers can also see nothing inside the yacht from the outside.

According to Italian media, two of the bodies recovered on Wednesday were found behind two mattresses.