Survivor of Yacht That Sank Off Sicily's Coast Recalls How She Used 'All My Strength' to Save Her 1-Year-Old

Mar. 15, 2025

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 withItalian newspaperla 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.

Charlotte Golunski.Charlotte Golunski/Instagram

Charlotte Golunski/Instagram

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.”

According to Italian news service ANSA, Golunski and her child were safely rescued via a lifeboat, perthe Associated Press.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

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.Vincenzo Pepe/Getty

Vincenzo Pepe/Getty

BBC News reported that Golunski is a colleague of Mike Lynch, the British tech entrepreneur who is one of the people — including his 18-year-old daughter Hannah —who is still missingfollowing the sinking of the 184-foot yacht.

Also among the disappeared are two Americans.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was one of 15 people saved out of a total of 22 who were originally aboard theBayesian, the Italian coast guard and local sources said. Eight of the rescued were taken to local hospitals

According to Italian media outlets, a man’s body was found after the sinking and later identified as the yacht’s chef, perReuters.

Witnesses said the yacht was moored in front of a port in Porticello when the storm hit, the local newspaperGiornale di Siciliareported.

“That boat was all lit up,” a man in Porticello told the outlet. “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.”

Search and rescue efforts continue, the coast guard said, as does an investigation into the incident.

source: people.com