Divers searching for six missing people in Sicily yacht disaster spot 'corpses through portholes'

Divers have claimed to have seen corpses when looking inside the wreckage of the capsized superyacht.

Six people are still missing after the £14 million pound luxury boat sank in the Mediterranean in the early hours on Monday (19 August) morning, amid a nasty storm that hit the coast of Sicily.

The result of the shocking weather was a sight of horror, as cushions and deck chairs were left afloat in the water, along with the 15 confirmed survivors from the vessel, holding onto a life raft.

Following the incident, it was confirmed UK tech mogul Mike Lynch, also known as the 'British Bill Gates', was onboard and is among those missing.

Divers are continuing to search for missing passengers. (Vincenzo Pepe/Getty Images)

A waterspout tornado struck the boat while it was anchored at port, which had 22 guests and crew on board at the time of the accident, before being capsized in a matter of minutes.

Most passengers were in their rooms when the Bayesian was hit, while Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah are among the six people missing, after one body was recovered yesterday.

His wife, Angela, escaped death as she made it off the vessel though, and was brought back to land.

However, Italian rescuers have since provided an update on their search for the remaining passengers, as they dived down 50 metres to the vessel's wreckage, according to the head of Sicily's civil protection agency, Salvo Cocina.

While examining the 55-metre long superyacht, divers claimed that they had seen bodies in the sailboat, according to local media outlet, Corriere Della Sera.

The divers are continuing their search. (Italian fire and rescue service)

They explained to the local outlet that they saw something disturbing 'through the portholes' of the sunken ship, adding that there were 'corpses'.

The one body found so far in their efforts was the vessel's chef, Ricardo Thomas.

An eyewitness from Palermo, the capital of Sicily, said to an Ansa press agency: "The vessel was still at anchor in front of the port when the tornado struck. With the anchor still down, the storm broke the sail mast, causing the vessel to lose its balance."

It is reported by local media and The Times that the two other missing Brits are Jonathan Bloomer, the chairman of bank Morgan Stanley International, as well as his wife.

Cocina, who is in charge of the rescue and recovery process, assured that the search for those missing will go on through the night, as helicopters continue to explore the area.

Divers claim to have seen corpses in the yacht's wreckage. (Vincenzo Pepe/Getty Images)

At midnight last night, less than 24 hours after the accident, Sky News said that specialist divers with experience in 'confined, dark spaces' where you would have no easy access to breathable air, entered the water just off the Sicilian capital to search for the six remaining missing persons.

Four British investigators are set to touchdown in Palermo this morning, as the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch sent them, out to help with the operation to search for the Bayesian's missing passengers.