Hostess onboard doomed yacht in shock

A pair of young hostesses who survived the Bayesian sinking have told of the terror of being ensnared by the fierce storm.

A pair of young hostesses who survived the Bayesian sinking have told of the terror of being ensnared by the fierce storm.

South Africans Leah Randall, 20, and Katja Chicken, 22, are staying at a Sicily hotel alongside other survivors as four bodies were recovered from the wreckage.

According to local newspaper Giornale di Sicilia, both of them remained in shock days following the superyacht sinking.

They were spotted in the hall of the Domina Zagarella hotel in Santa Flavia, which has also become a makeshift headquarters for police and rescue crew.

The hostesses are quoted as saying: “We are alive by a miracle.”

Their trembling voices were accompanied by tears, seemingly unable to elaborate further amid their ongoing distress.

Katja Chicken leaves the Coast Guard Headquarters. She looked visibly distressed as she came to terms with the freak incident. Picture: Vincenzo Pepe/Getty Images

One of them then heads to the bathroom to wipe away tears, the local paper says.

She adds: “It was terrible.”

The survivors don’t appear to have given the paper more details of their rescue.

Leah’s mum Heidi told Sky News she was “beyond relieved” to hear her “daughter’s life was spared by the grace of God”.

“It doesn’t make it any easier living with the heartache of those who have lost their lives (or are) missing,” she added.

“My very deepest condolences to the chef’s family as they formed a great friendship.”

Divers take to the waters as part of the desperate search. Picture: Vigili del Fuoco / AFP

The Bayesian sank in Porticello after a freakish storm battered the boat.

It’s believed to have capsized when it was struck by a tornado over the water – known as a waterspout.

Fifteen people clung on to a lifeboat to escape the terror, but five have now been confirmed dead including the yacht’s chef, Ricardo Thomas.

Two bodies pulled from the sunken vessel were confirmed to be those of Brit tech tycoon Mike and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.

Mike’s wife Angela is also staying at the hotel after she survived the sinking at 5am on Monday morning when the storm hit.

Italian authorities are probing whether hatches were left open by crew members, which could’ve led to the yacht sinking at speed as it filled with water.

Divers arrive in Porticello harbour near Palermo, with a third body at the back of the boat, two days after the British-flagged luxury yacht Bayesian sank. Picture: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

Given the forecast for bad weather, it’s unclear whether proper safety precautions were taken.

Survivors including captain James Cutfield, are being interviewed by investigators, who will also ask divers and rescue crew for evidence.

Luca Mercalli, president of the Italian Meteorological Society, said that in light of the weather warnings the crew should have woken the guests and given them life jackets.

The yacht was swallowed by the sea in minutes and the wreck now lies 50 metres below the surface.

Powerful water pressure at such depth means divers can only scour the debris for short 12-minute intervals before having to rise back up.

Billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter were confirmed to be the first two bodies pulled from the water on Wednesday. His wife Angela Bacare (together, above) survived the tragedy.

An engineer claimed there was a chance some of the missing passengers could be alive in air pockets, but a race against the clock to locate them proved to be challenging.

Divers had to force their way through a 3cm-thick porthole in one area, while other pathways are blocked by floating debris.

An underwater robot was also deployed to survey the wreck because it can last longer than human divers.

Mr Cutfield, 51, spoke from hospital and said he had no idea the tornado was coming towards the ship.

Mr Cutfield, from New Zealand, had captained luxury yachts for eight years and had previously worked on building them for 30 years.

He told La Repubblica: “We didn’t see it coming.”

Meanwhile Cutfield’s brother Mark told the NZ Herald his brother was a “very good sailor”.

And he added he was “very well respected” in the Mediterranean.

Mark said the skipper is still recovering in hospital, but managed to escape with injuries that were not “too dramatic”.

Those on board said the mast collapsed in stormy weather, causing glass to shatter everywhere and the boat to capsize.

Witnesses said a 12-minute waterspout had struck the boat, bringing a furious vortex against the vessel.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission