Six French tourists have disappeared from a boat caught in the path of Hurricane Sandy in the Caribbean.

The four men and two women had been attending a music festival on Dominica, according to local police.

Dominica Coast Guard Commander Mervyn Pendenque said that his agency is searching for those aboard a rigid-hulled inflatable boat that left the country before noon on Sunday.

The boat was traveling to the nearby island of Martinique, a journey which usually takes no more than two hours.

Mr Pendenque said Dominican authorities were searching the island’s harbours to see if the vessel is anchored to await better conditions.

Authorities from Martinique, which is an overseas region of France, are conducting an aerial search.

The French Transportation Ministry told the Sipa news agency that six French citizens were missing.

Sandy, which killed at least 69 people in the Caribbean, was far to the north, near the U.S. coast, on Sunday, but it was still kicking up waves around the island.

‘We have a lot of groundswells and a little wind but nothing so great it would affect normal sailing,’ Mr Pendenque said.

It was not the only vessel to have been caught up in the worsening hurricane by Monday morning.

Two crew members of the famous HMS Bounty were missing after those on board were forced to abandon ship because of the storm.

And multiple cruise ships have been diverted from the north-east of the U.S. thanks to the danger posed by Sandy.