Face of hero mom as she recounts harrowing moment she lost her baby in Sicilian yacht disaster as search continues

A British mother who was dramatically saved from the sinking Bayesian superyacht recounted the harrowing moment she briefly lost her one year old daughter to the "furious" waves.

The luxury boat was anchored near Porticello, on the outskirts of Palermo, Sicily, when an unexpected storm ravaged the area early Monday morning.

Around 5am, what witnesses described as a "whirlwind" tore through, devastating The Bayesian and causing it - with 22 souls aboard - to quickly go under.

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A rescue operation saw 15 individuals, including the toddler and her parents, pulled to safety by a vessel nearby, the Coast Guard confirmed.

Charlotte Golunski, 36, relayed to Italian reporters: "For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea, then I immediately hugged her again amid the fury of the waves.", reports the Express .

She recounted gripping her one year old Sophia tightly "with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning," she continued.

"The darkness was overwhelming. In the water, my eyes wouldn't stay open. I cried out for help but could only hear the cries of others around me."

15 passengers managed to clamber onto a life raft, later rescued by another ship.

Now in hospital with a minor shoulder injury, Charlotte detailed the ordeal, saying "in a few minutes the boat was hit by a very strong wind and sank shortly after".

She credits their survival to being on deck at the time of the storm, rather than trapped inside their cabins.

Details about what caused the yacht to wreck so quickly are still emerging, with divers continuing the search for six missing tourists in the wreck, which is 160ft underwater.

Rescuers tragically found one body near the wreck earlier today, which is yet to be identified. It's feared more could have lost their lives in the catastrophic incident.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, the owner of the superyacht, remains missing while his wife Angela Bacares, 57, was rescued. A frantic search operation is ongoing for five more missing tourists.