One man has died and six other people are missing after a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday morning.

The 56m (183ft) vessel was carrying 22 people – 10 crew and 12 passengers – including British, American and Canadian nationals.

Emergency services rescued 15 people, including a one-year-old British girl.

Local media reported that the yacht, sailing under the name Bayesian, sank after encountering a heavy storm overnight that caused waterspouts, or rotating columns of air, to appear over the sea.

Witnesses told Italian news agency Ansa that the Bayesian’s anchor was down when the storm struck, causing the mast to break and the ship to lose its balance and sink.

A waterspout is similar to a tornado and can form over oceans, seas or large lakes.

Divers have identified a wreckage 50m below the water’s surface and are searching for those missing.

The body of one man has been found outside of the wreckage. His nationality has not been confirmed.

Fifteen people managed to get to safety after the storm hit.

In the initial aftermath, a nearby Dutch-flagged vessel rescued survivors from the waves, tending to them until emergency services arrived.

Captain Karsten Borner said after the storm had passed, the crew noticed that the yacht that had been behind them had disappeared.

“We saw a red flare, so my first mate and I went to the position, and we found this life raft drifting,” he told Reuters.

That lift rafter was carrying 15 survivors, three of whom were “heavily injured”, he said.

A local fisherman told Reuters news agency he had seen people being rescued by an inflatable boat dispatched from another yacht.

The captain of a local fishing trawler said he saw debris, including cushions from the deck, floating in the sea.

Footage from the wreckage site showed helicopters circling over several coastguard vessels as divers wearing bright orange descended into the water.

A one-year-old British girl was brought to shore by a firefighter who handed her over to authorities to be transported to hospital, Italian newspaper Corriere Della Serra reported, quoting a hospital official.

The young girl underwent tests but is said to be fine.

Eight of those rescued are receiving treatment in hospital, the Italian coastguard said.

The western half of the Mediterranean has experienced severe storms since the middle of last week.

Through Sunday night and into Monday morning, a clutch of bad weather passed by the north coast of Sicily.

BBC Weather Forecaster Matt Taylor said: “A waterspout is a tornado that has occurred over water rather than land.

“They can form during intense storms, on the base of cumulonimbus/thunder clouds.

“Turbulence, and the wind blowing in slightly different directions around the cloud, can cause rotation under the base of the cloud and the spout to form.

“Like tornadoes, they bring powerful winds, but instead of picking up dust and debris they cause a water mist around the column of rotating air.”

The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of the incident and in contact with local authorities.

The Bayesian is managed by Camper and Nicholsons International.

A spokesperson told BBC Verify: “Our priority is assisting with the ongoing search and providing all necessary support to the rescued passengers and crew.”