PORTICELLO, Sicily -- Rescue teams and divers were returning to the site of a storm-sunken superyacht off Sicily on Tuesday to search for six people, including British tech magnate Mike Lynch , who are believed to be still trapped in the hull, 50 meters (164 feet) underwater.

Divers were loading a rescue dinghy at the port of Porticello, near Palermo, after an initial search on Monday ended without success. Fire rescue teams reported that divers were unable to enter the below-deck cabins because they were obstructed by debris that had shifted during the severe storm that capsized the luxury sailboat early Monday.

Fifteen individuals survived, including a mother who recounted holding her 1-year-old child above the waves for safety. One body has been retrieved, officials confirmed.

“Access was restricted to the bridge, due to the difficulty caused by furniture blocking the divers’ path,” the fire crews reported in a statement.

The search efforts were hampered by the ship's position on the seabed at a depth of 50 meters, which limited the divers' time underwater, said fire rescue spokesperson Luca Cari. As a result, the search was expected to be lengthy, he told The Associated Press early Tuesday.

The 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged Bayesian luxury yacht was anchored about a half-mile off Ponticello when a violent storm struck around 4 a.m. Monday. Civil protection officials suggested that a waterspout, a tornado over water, hit the ship.

Fifteen out of the Bayesian's 22 passengers and crew managed to escape, first boarding a lifeboat and then transferring to a nearby sailboat, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, which had also been anchored offshore to weather the storm, according to Karsten Borner, the Baden Powell's captain, speaking to reporters at the scene.

One body, identified as that of the Bayesian's chef, was recovered in the vicinity.

Among those missing was Lynch , once lauded as Britain's technology king. He was cleared in June of fraud and conspiracy charges in a U.S. federal trial related to Hewlett Packard's $11 billion acquisition of his company, Autonomy Corp. His wife, Angela Bacares, survived.

The vacation seemed to be a celebratory event following Lynch's acquittal, with guests including some of those who had supported him throughout the ordeal. Among those unaccounted for, according to the civil protection agency, were one of Lynch's American lawyers, Christopher Morvillo of Clifford Chance, and Morvillo's wife. Also missing were Jonathan Bloomer, the former head of the Autonomy audit committee who testified at Lynch's trial, and his wife.

Among the survivors was Charlotte Golunski, who recounted that she briefly lost sight of her 1-year-old daughter Sofia in the turbulent waters but managed to keep her afloat until a lifeboat inflated, allowing them both to be rescued, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. The father, identified by ANSA as James Emslie, also survived.

The yacht, constructed in 2008 by the Italian shipyard Perini Navi, was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members. According to online yacht charter services, it has been available for rental at 195,000 euros (approximately $215,000) per week and is notable for its towering 75-meter aluminum mast, one of the tallest in the world.