Four bodies recovered from luxury yacht that sank off Sicily

Italian authorities have reported the recovery of the bodies of four deceased individuals from the wreck of a luxury yacht that sank in a storm off Sicily earlier this week.

The recovery of the four victims brings the death toll from the sinking of the 56-metre Bayesian to five. The body of the ship's cook had been found earlier while only 15 survivors have been confirmed among the 22 people who were on board.

An Italian Coast Guard official said the UK-flagged yacht was struck by a waterspout at around 04:30 local time on Monday, August 19. The yacht then sank to a depth of 50 metres near where it had been anchored just off the fishing village of Porticello.

Local authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of the four recently recovered victims. However, international media outlets such as The Daily Telegraph said two of the deceased are 59-year-old British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

Lynch's wife Angela Bacares, who is also one of the survivors, is reportedly the owner of the ill-fated yacht. She is currently being treated for injuries sustained as a result of the incident.

The Italian Coast Guard is continuing to gather eyewitness accounts of the sinking. The coast guard has also deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to survey the wreck, which lies at a depth of 50 metres.