Two bodies found in search for missing passengers after superyacht sank when hit by tornado

Two bodies have been found in the search for missing passengers after a superyacht sank.

The luxury boat capsized off the coast of Sicily on Monday (19 August).

Head of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvatore Cocina, confirmed to the BBC this afternoon that two bodies had been found.

Carrying 22 passengers and crew, the Bayesian superyacht sank at around 5am local time with CCTV footage showing how it ‘vanished in 60 seconds’.

According to ship-tracking site VesselFinder, the boat had been calling at various points of the Italian island before the tragedy.

Rescuers managed to save 15 passengers with the help of a heroic captain but as of this morning, six people are still missing.

This includes UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch, bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, law firm partner Chris Morvillo and his jewellery designer wife Neda Morvillo.

It was also reported earlier today that the rescue services were aiming to get into the ship's cabin where it is thought the passengers may have been sleeping, as per the BBC.

Hours after the sinking on Monday, the body of chef Recaldo Thomas was recovered nearby. The Canadian-Antiguan was described as well-loved and kind with a 'smile that lit up the room'.

Bloomer's twin brother, Jeremy, said he hadn't given up hope on finding him as he theorised there might be air pockets possibly keeping him alive.

Teams have been searching for passengers since the boat sank on Monday. ( ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

He told the BBC that his family is 'coping the best they can', adding: "It's a slow process and it will take time.

"So there might be air pockets, but we don't know. He was my older [brother] by half an hour. So it means a lot when you lose a twin brother.

"It's still wait and see, so fingers crossed."

Jeremy also described the 'terrible' situation as something 'beyond your wildest imagination', before adding: "I'm just numb, just numb.

"That's it, you don't know what to think and you can't believe it's happened."

Experts have suggested that air pockets could in fact have formed as the yacht sank so quickly.

22 people were aboard the Bayesian including 10 crew. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Vincenzo Zagarola of the Italian Coastguard previously said that the six missing tourists were feared dead.

When asked about the likelihood of them being alive, he said to 'never say never' but 'reasonably the answer should be not'.

He told PA news agency: “We think they are still inside the boat, that is our very hard idea.

“Of course, we do not exclude that they are not inside the boat, but we know the boat sank quickly.

“We suppose that the six people missing may not have had time to get out of the boat.”