Search efforts intensify for 6 missing after yacht sinks off Italian coast

Search and rescue operations are still underway for the six missing people after a yacht sank early Monday off the Italian coast, according to media reports on Tuesday.

Mike Lynch, a 59-year-old tech entrepreneur and a billionaire who is also the owner of the vessel and his 18-year-old daughter are the two British people reported missing. Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, is among those rescued.

The Italian fire department separately said on X that the first inspection of the cave divers inside the shipwreck was "unsuccessful."

"Limited access to the bridge, with difficulties due to the presence of furniture that obstructs the passage," the statement added.

One person, who was identified by the firefighters as the yacht's chef, Rick, drowned and six more were missing after a yacht sank on Monday due to a storm 20 kilometers (over 12.4 miles) east of Palermo in southern Italy, while 15 others were rescued, according to media reports.

The incident took place around 5 a.m. local time (0300GMT) when the 56-meter-long (184 feet) boat sank due to heavy rains and stormy weather.

Coastguards and the fire department have rescued 15 people, and a search for the remaining people is underway, the Italian fire department said in a statement.

The British-flagged boat sank to a depth of 49 meters (nearly 161 feet), and a helicopter is also assisting with the operations, it said.

The people on the yacht were from the UK, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, France, Ireland, US, and Canada.

Earlier, several media reports said four Britons, two Americans, and a Canadian were missing after the boat capsized.

A one-year-old child and her mother were among those rescued and taken to a children's hospital in Palermo for medical care.