A mom aboard the luxury superyacht that sank after what officials called a “violent storm” off the coast of Sicily this week is speaking out about how she was able to save her young daughter from being swept away by the water.
The mother was identified to PEOPLE by local authorities as Charlotte Golunski — who, along with her partner, was so shocked about how bad the weather had gotten that they went above board just before disaster struck the Bayesian early on Monday, Aug. 19, the sources say.
After going into the water, Golunski lost her grip on her 1-year-old daughter, Sophie, when a wave smashed against them, taking the child out to sea, according to the local sources.
The same wave returned the girl a short time later in what was described as something of a miracle.
In an interview with Italian newspaper la Repubblica, Golunski said that she briefly lost her daughter for about two seconds due to the intensity of the sea but was then was able to retrieve the child.
“I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning,” Golunski told the newspaper, according to a translation.
She added: “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.”
The Italian coast guard said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that the Bayesian, a 56-meter yacht flying the U.K. flag, sank near Poritcello around 5 a.m., local time on Monday after the storm.
According to Italian news service ANSA, Golunski and her child were safely rescued via a lifeboat, per the Associated Press.
Salvo Cocina, an official with Sicily’s civil protection agency, said that the baby’s father, James Emsley, survived the incident, according to Sky News.
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A carabinieri vehicle parked near the harbor where the search continues for missing passengers after a yacht capsized on August 19, 2024 off the coast of Palermo, Italy.
The Guardian reported that Domenico Cipolla, a doctor at the Palermo hospital where Sophie and her mother were treated, stated, “The baby is doing well. The mother is also in good condition, albeit with some minor abrasions. The father will also be discharged from the hospital soon.”
According to BBC News, Golunski, a colleague of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, is among those still missing after the sinking of the 184-foot yacht. Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, is also among the missing.
Two Americans are also unaccounted for.
Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was one of 15 people rescued from the yacht, which had 22 people on board, as reported by the Italian coast guard and local sources. Eight of the survivors were taken to nearby hospitals.
Italian media outlets, citing Reuters, reported that a man’s body was found after the sinking and later identified as the yacht’s chef.
Witnesses told the local newspaper Giornale di Sicilia that the yacht had been moored in front of a port in Porticello when the storm struck. One local man recalled, “That boat was all lit up. At about 4:30 in the morning, it was gone. A beautiful boat where there had been a party. A normal day of vacation spent happily at sea turned into a tragedy.”
The coast guard confirmed that search and rescue efforts are ongoing, along with an investigation into the incident.