August 20th 2024.
According to the foreign ministry of New Zealand, a tragic incident occurred in Italy where a luxury yacht, carrying two New Zealanders, capsized during a storm. The victims were identified as Ayla Ronald, a 36-year-old lawyer from Christchurch, and her partner Matthew Fletcher, who were on board the superyacht Bayesian. Ayla's father, Lin Ronald, shared with Stuff that his daughter had sent him a text, informing him about the disaster and assuring him that she and her partner were alive, but there were fatalities.
The news of the incident was shocking and heartbreaking for their loved ones, as well as the entire nation. Ayla, who was a successful lawyer at Clifford Chance, had joined the firm in 2018. She was on the 56m-long superyacht with 21 other people when it sank near the port of Porticello, due to bad weather conditions. The tragic incident claimed the lives of one person, while six others, including UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, are still missing. Thankfully, Lynch's wife and 14 others were rescued.
The group on the yacht was celebrating Lynch's acquittal on fraud charges, and Ayla was involved in his case. Lin Ronald revealed that his daughter was still in shock and hadn't fully shared the details of what had happened. He also mentioned that both Ayla and her partner were survivors, and he was grateful that they were alive. He added that Ayla had spent a lot of time sailing, as she grew up on a boat, and was well equipped to handle such situations.
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade assured that their embassy in Rome was providing consular assistance to the two New Zealanders involved in the incident. They also clarified that there was no reason to believe that the second person was among the missing individuals. The Italian coast guard stated that the yacht, which was anchored near the port of Porticello, was hit by a waterspout, caused by a tornado over the water. Rescue operations were underway, and one body had already been recovered.
According to the Italian civil protection agency, Salvo Cocina, the survivors were in the wrong place at the wrong time. He also mentioned that another ship nearby, the Sir Robert Baden Powell, was not as severely damaged and had helped in the rescue of 15 survivors, including Lynch's wife. One of the survivors, Charlotte Golunski, shared her harrowing experience of momentarily losing her one-year-old daughter in the water, but thankfully, both of them were rescued. James Emslie, the father of the child, also survived the disaster.
The captain of Sir Robert Baden Powell, Karsten Borner, revealed that he had noticed the yacht during the storm, but after the weather calmed down, he saw a red flare and realized that the ship had disappeared. He and his crew member boarded their tender and found a lifeboat with 15 survivors, some of whom were injured. They took them aboard and alerted the coast guard. Eight of the rescued individuals were hospitalized, while the rest were taken to a nearby hotel. Unfortunately, one body, believed to be the cook, was found near the wreck, and six more people were still unaccounted for.
Rescue operations were still ongoing, with helicopters and rescue boats from various agencies involved in the search for the remaining missing individuals. The captain of Sir Robert Baden Powell shared that the crew and passengers on board were from different countries, including Britain, the United States, Antigua, France, Germany, Ireland, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Spain. This tragic incident has left the world in shock, and our hearts go out to all the victims and their families.
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