For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea... then I was hugging her

Mother rescues tot, 1, in storm horror | 'UK's Bill Gates' missing, feared dead

- SASKIA ROWLANDS and ANDY LINES

PLUNGED into blackened waters and with waves raging around her, heroic mum Charlotte Golunski summoned all her strength to save her baby from drowning.

The 36-year-old Brit told how she lost sight of her tot as the superyacht was battered by a tornado at 4am yesterday before sinking. They made it into a lifeboat with other survivors and were rescued by coastguard.

But six people were last night feared dead in the disaster off Sicily.

Among them is tech tycoon Mike Lynch, dubbed the "UK's Bill Gates", and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

His wife Angela Bacares, 57, survived along with Charlotte and 13 others who were on board the luxury £52million "Bayesian' when the tornado struck unexpectedly.

A body, believed to be the yacht's chef, Ricardo Thomas, was found yesterday morning.

Speaking of the drama, Charlotte said: "For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea, then I immediately hugged her again amid the fury of the waves. I held her tightly, close to me, while the sea was stormy.

SCREAMS

"Many were screaming, Luckily, the lifeboat inflated and 11 of us managed to get on board.

"I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning.

"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."

Charlotte's baby was taken to the Giovanni di Cristina paediatric hospital in Sicilian capital Palermo.

A&E chief Dr Domenico Cipolla said: "She told me that while they were sleeping, at a certain point the yacht overturned due to the tornado and they found themselves in the water.

"She managed to save the baby, to keep her arms up, and then, with the others, they got on the lifeboat.

"They are all in good condition. Because the little girl is fine, the prognosis is good and we are carrying out tests just to be careful."