An Irish national was reportedly one of the 22 people on board the superyacht Bayesian when it sank this morning, Monday, August 19, off the coast of Italy.

The passengers on board were mainly from Great Britain, in addition to one citizen of New Zealand, one of Sri Lanka, one Irish national, and two passengers with dual British-French citizenship, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Monday.

The 56-metre yacht, flying the UK flag, sank off Porticello at about 5 am on Monday morning, the Italian Coast Guard said in a statement, according to The Telegraph.

The yacht is reported to have sunk on a seabed of about 50 meters, according to the Coast Guard.

Salvo Cocina of Sicily’s civil protection agency told the Associated Press on Monday that a tornado over the water known as a waterspout struck the area overnight.

“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Cocina said, noting that another superyacht nearby wasn’t as badly damaged and was able to rescue some of the Bayesian's 15 survivors.

In a statement on Monday, the Italian Coast Guard said: “The first shipwrecked were rescued by a boat in the immediate vicinity and brought ashore by four coast guard vessels, which promptly responded to the scene from Porticello, Termini Imerese, and Palermo."

15 persone tratte in salvo dopo l'affondamento di uno yacht al largo di Porticello. In corso le ricerche coordinate dalla #GuardiaCostiera di #Palermo per le 6 persone ancora disperse, con mezzi navali e aerei della Guardia Costiera, e sommozzatori dei @vigilidelfuoco pic.twitter.com/NX8XSP9ArM

— Guardia Costiera (@guardiacostiera) August 19, 2024

The Coast Guard said that initial information received from the yacht crew indicated that there were 22 people on board the yacht - 10 crew members and 12 passengers.

15 people were rescued, eight of whom were transported to local hospitals, the Coast Guard said.

Seven people - one crew member and six passengers of British, American, and Canadian nationalities - were initially reported missing.

However, Vigili del Fuoco, Italy's Fire and Rescue Service, has since confirmed that one body has been recovered.

#Palermo, naufragio imbarcazione a Porticello: recuperato dai #sommozzatori dei #vigilidelfuoco il corpo senza vita di un uomo, all’esterno del relitto. Proseguono le operazioni di ricerca con il coordinamento in mare della @guardiacostiera [#19agosto 11:30] pic.twitter.com/Y2m9o5ohCe

— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) August 19, 2024

“The search continues unabated with naval, air and underwater resources, including the Messina Coast Guard Diving Unit," the Italian Coast Guard said.

Among those reported to be missing is tech billionaire Mike Lynch, often referred to as the 'British Bill Gates.'

Lynch, the founder of Autonomy, was born in Essex and grew up in Chelmsford to Irish parents - his mother was a nurse from Co Tipperary and his father was a firefighter from Co Cork.

The Associated Press reported on Monday that Lynch's wife is among the 15 survivors of the tragedy. Reuters, meanwhile, reports that the yacht is owned by the firm Revtom Limited and that Lynch's wife Angela Bacares is named as the sole shareholder of the firm on company documents.

On Monday, a spokesperson for Lynch said there was no comment.