Body of chef found on luxury yacht sunk off Sicily, search for six more

The citizen of Canada and Antigua was one of 22 people on board the yacht Bayesian when it sank during a severe storm on Monday.

His friend Gareth Williams described him as loved and kind, with “the deepest, most soulful voice in the world and a smile that lit up the room”.

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

British investigators have arrived in Italy to assess what happened during the extreme weather conditions that sank the yacht.

In the early morning of August 19, the yacht Bayesian capsized about 700m off Porticello, east of the Sicilian capital Palermo.

Of the 22 people on board, 15 survived. So far, only one body has been found - that of Recaldo Thomas.

Williams said he has known the chef for 30 years, as they grew up together in Antigua, where Thomas lives in the off-season working on yachts.

“He told me just the other day that he has to work two more seasons to fix up his late parents' house. "He loved yachting but he was tired," Williams told the BBC's Insaf Abbas.

Another friend, Ellie Fuller, said he first met the chef 25 years ago and that he was a role model for young people.

“Personality was very important to his work. The richest people in the world want to communicate with someone social. "He was wanted," says Fuller.