"For 2 seconds I lost my daughter": British mother recounts Sicily yacht tragedy

Charlotte, a British woman, recounted the terrifying ordeal she faced when a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily during a violent overnight storm. She was on board with her partner and their one-year-old daughter when the vessel was struck by the stormearly on Monday.

Charlotte described to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica how she frantically held her baby above the water to keep her from drowning as they were tossed overboard. "For two seconds I lost my daughter in the sea, then quickly hugged her amid the fury of the waves," she said.

In the darkness, she struggled to keep her eyes open and screamed for help, only to hear the desperate cries of others around her. A lifeboat was inflated, allowing 11 people, including Charlotte and her family, to board. They were later taken to a hospital for evaluations and were reported to be unharmed.

The 56-meter (183-foot) yacht, carrying 10 crew members and 12 passengers, went down half a mile from Palermo’s shore. Rescue teams are actively searching for six individuals, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who went missing after the yacht sank on Monday. One person has been confirmed dead.

Among those missing are Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley International, and Chris Morvillo, a lawyer from Clifford Chance who had represented Lynch in a lengthy UStrial.

Karsten Borner, the captain of a nearby vessel, shared that his crew had rescued some survivors from a life raft, including three with serious injuries. He told Italian news outlet Rai that the superyacht tipped over and sank in a matter of minutes.

Local fisherman Giuseppe told news agency Reuters that he observed “mats and T-shirts floating in the sea,” while another witness, Fabio Cefalù, captain of a trawler, said he avoided the storm by staying in the harbour after seeing flashes of lightning. Another fisherman reported seeing the yacht "sink with my own eyes."

(With inputs from agencies)