The search for British technology magnate Mike Lynch and his daughter will resume on Tuesday after a luxury yacht sank in a tornado off the coast of Sicily.

The couple are among six tourists missing after the yacht, named Bayesian, was damaged in violent storms off the coast of Palermo in the early hours of Monday.

The BBC reported that searches will continue on Tuesday morning. Among those missing are Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International Bank, and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer at Clifford Chance.

Italian fire service Vigili del Fuoco told X that initial inspections of the wreck had been “unsuccessful” because access to the bridge was restricted and furniture blocked the passageways.

A body, presumably that of the ship’s cook, was discovered.

Four of the missing passengers are British and two Americans, reported the Italian news website “La Repubblica”.

Mr Lynch, who founded software giant Autonomy in 1996, was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to business.

In June, he was acquitted of massive fraud charges related to an $11 billion (£8.64 billion) sale to US company Hewlett Packard.

Ayla Reynold, a New Zealander who works at Clifford Chance, survived the ordeal. Her father, Lin Ronald, confirmed to the Telegraph that she had been invited on board as a thank you for her support in Lynch’s recent court case.

“I texted my daughter and she didn’t give me any news about missing people or rescues. She just said there were dead people and she and her partner were alive,” he said.

“Ayla is a lawyer and is part of the legal team that was invited to sail following their success in the recent US court case.”

Sicilian civil protection told the BBC that 18-year-old Hannah Lynch was among the missing, along with her father and the yacht’s cook, Ricardo Thomas.

The yacht carried 10 crew members and 12 passengers.

According to local media, 15 people were rescued, including Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares.

The British-flagged superyacht capsized off the coast of Palermo at around 5 a.m. local time on Monday morning as a tornado hit the area.

A spokesman for Mr Lynch said there was no comment.

The yacht sank as a violent storm raged over the region on Monday evening.

Fabio Cefalu, a fisherman who witnessed the unusual storm, told Italian media he remained at the scene for several hours.

“After 10 minutes we saw a flare in the sky. We waited about 10 minutes to see the intensity of the tornado and then headed out to sea,” he said.

“We were the first to rescue, but we found no one at sea, we only found pillows and the remains of the boat.”

The daily newspaper “Il Giornale di Sicilia” reported that the ship’s passengers were mainly British, but also people from New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Ireland and British-French citizens.

One of the survivors, British tourist Charlotte Emsley, told the newspaper La Repubblica that she was holding her one-year-old daughter Sofia in her arms to prevent her from drowning.

She said: “I held her above water with all my strength and stretched my arms up to prevent her from drowning.

“It was completely dark. I couldn’t keep my eyes open in the water. I screamed for help, but all I heard around me were the screams of the others.”

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

Karsten Borner, captain of a nearby boat, told reporters that the missing people included the owner of the Bayesian and a child, Reuters news agency reported.

He said his crew had taken on board several survivors who were on a life raft, including three seriously injured people.

He added: “I think they are inside, all the missing persons.”

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

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said four of its inspectors would be deployed to Palermo.

The PA news agency has learned that the team will carry out a basic assessment of the scene but will not launch an investigation at this stage.

According to ship tracking website VesselFinder, Bayesian has made several voyages in recent days, calling at various ports in Sicily.

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.

It was built in 2008 by the Italian company Perini Navi.

Its registered owner is Revtom Ltd, based in the Isle of Man.

It has since been revealed that Mr Lynch’s co-defendant in his US fraud trial, Stephen Chamberlain, died after being hit by a car while jogging on Saturday.

Gary Lincenberg, Mr Chamberlain’s lawyer, said in a statement to the PA news agency: “Our valued client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car while jogging on Saturday.

“He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We miss him deeply.”

“Steve successfully fought to clear his good name in court earlier this year and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family.”

Mr Lynch is of Irish descent – ​​his father was a fireman from County Cork and his mother was a nurse from County Tipperary.

In a radio interview in 2015, Mr Lynch confirmed that he was born in Ilford, London, despite several reports that he was born in Ireland and raised in England.

In the same interview, he said that he spent his childhood summers in Carrick-On-Shannon and Tipperary and that his family still lives there.