The body found is believed to be chef Recaldo Thomas

A body has been found near a luxury yacht that is sinking off the coast of Sicily and is believed to be that of chef Recaldo Thomas.

The Canadian-Antiguan man was one of 22 people aboard the Bayesian when it sank during a powerful storm on Monday.

Her friend Gareth Williams described her as a well-liked and kind person, “with the deepest, sweetest voice in the world, and a smile that lit up a room.”

Divers are struggling to reach the cabins of the sunken ship as they search for six missing passengers including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer.

British investigators arrived in Italy on Tuesday to investigate what happened when the bad weather hit the boat.

The Bayesian crashed in an area about 700m (2,300ft) from Porticello, just east of the Sicilian capital Palermo, early on Monday.

Of the 22 people on board, 15 survived – including the British mother who described her arrest baby girl above the sea to save her from drowning.

So far only one body, that of Recaldo Thomas, has been found.

Mr Williams said he had known the chef for 30 years as they grew up together in Antigua, where Thomas lived during yachting’s off-season.

“He told me one day that he had to work for two seasons to fix the house of his late parents. He liked to go boating, but he was tired,” Mr Williams told the BBC’s Insaf Abbas.

Another friend of his, Eli Fuller, said he first met the chef 25 years ago and he was a good role model for the youth.

“Personality was very important in his work. The richest people in the world want to share with someone in the community. He was wanted,” said Mr Fuller.

“The kids would see all these white people working on the boats. For them to see an Antiguan man go all over the world – it was important to our community,” he added.

Bayesian is believed to have been hit by a storm surge over water – otherwise known as a waterspout – which caused the ship to overturn and sink into the sea.

There are reports that the mast of this boat broke, and other things include water coming in through hatches that may have been open due to the temperature.

The Italian coast guard said on Tuesday afternoon that their search was continuing and that divers were looking for ways to safely enter the wreck.

Previously, a member of the diving team, Marco Tilotta, said that it was difficult to reach because the Bayesian trunk has a 90 degree angle heading to the bottom of the sea.

He told Reuters news agency that there was “a world of stuff” blocking the narrow stairs leading to the cabins.

“We’re not stopping,” he added. “We have the resources, the staff and the means. Our goal is to find all the missing people, so that’s our job.”

The divers were able to spend only 12 minutes under water, which means that when they arrived at the wreck, they only had about 10 minutes to search it.

Along with several teams of divers, the coast guard said they have five patrol boats, at least two helicopters and a remotely operated underwater vehicle.

Professional divers trained to work in small areas were flown in from Rome and Sardinia.

The vessel, which is 56m (183ft) long and flies the British flag, was carrying 10 crew and 12 passengers when it sank.

Among the missing are Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah, 18, and Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy.

Neda Morvillo, an American jewelry designer, and her husband Chris are also missing. This news was confirmed by his law firm Clifford Chance.

Mr Lynch was found not guilty in June of multiple fraud charges relating to the sale of his company Autonomy for $11bn (£8.6bn) to US computer giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

A relative of one of the survivors said the lawyers who represented Mr Lynch in the legal proceedings – where Mr Bloomer had been a witness – were invited to the Bayesi boat to celebrate.

Ayla Ronald, a senior mate at Clifford Chance, and her husband were among the people rescued from the boat when it sank.

Separately, it was confirmed on Tuesday that Mr Lynch’s fellow prisoner, Stephen Chamberlain, 52, died after being hit by a car while leaving Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

His family described him as “a much loved husband, father, son, brother and friend”.