The captain of the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily has spoken out on the incident as searches for missing passengers continue.
On Monday morning (August 19) at around 5 am local time, Italian superyacht the Bayesian sank during a sudden and 'violent' storm that saw a tornado rip through the ship.
The 183ft superyacht was resting off the coast of Sicily with 22 people on board, including 12 passengers and 10 crew members.
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A statement from the Italian coastguard said: “This morning at about 5am, following a violent storm, a 56-meter yacht called Bayesian flying the British flag sank near Porticello.”
One person was confirmed to have died during the capsize, while 15 have been rescued.
The remaining six people on board are still missing.
Of the people rescued is the yacht's captain James Catfield, who has since spoken out on the situation.
According to The Mirror, Catfield simply said: "We didn't see it coming," appearing to reference the storm that sank the vessel.
Catfield is reportedly receiving medical care in a hospital located in the Sicilian town of Termini Imerese along with four other passengers.
The superyacht was owned by British tech tycoon Mike Lynch.
He was on board along with his 18-year-old daughter Hannah, his wife Angela Bacares, and his lawyer Christopher Morvilla - who'd previously shared a chilling final post to LinkedIn before the incident.
Lynch's wife was one of the passengers rescued, however, her husband remains missing.
She told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that she'd felt a 'slight tilt' before the superyacht capsized.
One of Lynch's partners at his firm Invoke Capital, Charlotte Golunski, was also onboard and survived the shipwreck.
She was rescued along with her one-year-old daughter Sofia and her partner James Emsley.
Also speaking to La Repubblica, Golunski recalled the experience of the wreck, telling the outlet: "I held [Sofia] afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.
"It was all dark. In the water I couldn't keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others."
Other passengers on board included Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Anne.
The rescue mission reportedly resumed again this morning at about 6:30 am local time as per The Mirror.
As the operation to locate the six missing people ensues, updates will be posted accordingly.
Topics: News, World News, Bayesian yacht
Yasmeen Hamadeh