One man has died and six people are missing after a luxury yacht was hit by an unexpectedly violent storm and sank off the Sicilian capital of Palermo.

The 50-metre-long boat, named Bayesian, had 22 people on board when it sank in the early hours of Monday morning. Among the seven missing people are four Britons, according to local media.

According to ship tracking site Marine Traffic, the yacht sank when a violent storm swept through the area overnight and was sailing under a British flag.

A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) said: “We are in contact with local authorities following an incident in Sicily and are ready to provide consular assistance to the British nationals affected.”

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What do we know about the missing people on the yacht?

British technology magnate Mike Lynch is among the six missing tourists, The Independent has learned.

Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to the business world. Earlier this year he was acquitted of massive fraud charges related to an $11 billion (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

A body, believed to be that of the ship’s chef, was found and 15 people were rescued. The body was found near the wreck at a depth of 50 meters, fire and rescue services said.

Four of the missing passengers are British and two Americans, Italian news website the Republic reported.

One of the survivors, a British tourist named Charlotte, told the Republic She held her one-year-old daughter Sofia to prevent her from drowning.

“I held her above water with all my strength and stretched my arms up to prevent her from drowning,” she said. “It was very dark. I couldn’t keep my eyes open in the water. I screamed for help, but all I could hear around me were the screams of the others.”

Charlotte and Sofia are being treated in hospital, as is Charlotte’s husband James.

Karsten Borner, captain of a nearby boat, told reporters that the missing included the Bayesian’s owner and a child. He said his crew had taken on board some survivors who were on a life raft, including three seriously injured people.

Where did the yacht sink?

The luxury yacht sank off the coast of Palermo in Sicily.

The 56-meter-long sailing boat sank with 22 people on board shortly before sunrise, the Italian coast guard said.

“The wind was very strong. Bad weather was expected, but not to this extent,” a coast guard official in Palermo told Reuters.

In recent days, Italy has been hit by storms and heavy rain. After weeks of scorching heat, floods and landslides caused major damage in the north of the country.

The boat left the Sicilian port of Milazzo on August 14 and was last tracked east of Palermo on Sunday evening with the navigation status “at anchor,” according to the ship tracking app Vesselfinder.

The Bayesian Superyacht

According to VesselFinder, the Bayesian superyacht is 56 meters long.

The superyacht can accommodate up to 12 guests in six suites and is available for rent for up to 195,000 euros (166,000 pounds) per week.

Bayesian has completed several voyages in the last few days, calling at various ports in Sicily.

The 75-meter-high mast of the shipyard formerly known as “Salute” (“health” in Italian) is the tallest aluminum mast in the world, the Italian shipbuilder Perini said on its website.

Perini built the boat in 2008 and it was last refitted in 2020 and managed by yacht company Camper & Nicholsons.

Camper and Nicholsons International confirmed The Independent that the Bayesian sailing yacht “entered into heavy weather and subsequently sank.”

A statement added: “There were a total of 12 guests and 10 crew members on board. The Italian Coast Guard is leading the search and rescue operations and has safely recovered 15 people. Efforts to find the seven missing people are ongoing. Our priority is to assist in the ongoing search and provide all necessary assistance to the rescued passengers and crew. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.”

Its registered owner is Revtom Ltd.

There is little publicly available online information about the company, which appears to be based on the Isle of Man.