Survivor of sunken superyacht sent her father heartbreaking message just moments after she was rescued

A survivor who was aboard the superyacht as it became engulfed by a storm sent her father a heartbreaking message just moments before she was rescued.

The $18m yacht capsized in the early hours of Monday, 19 August, after being caught up in a tornado.

Now, the father of a woman who was a passenger on the boat has shared a heartbreaking update he received from her as she was brought to safety.

Tech mogul Mike Lynch is among those still missing (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Ayla Ronald is a lawyer and a senior associate at Clifford Chance, and she was one of the 22 people aboard the superyacht when a waterspout tornado struck the vessel, according to reports.

Ronald escaped the sinking ship with her partner Matthew Fletcher after passengers awoke and realized that the yacht had tilted.

Her father, Lin Ronald, described how his daughter is a keen sailor, having “passed her captain's ticket a few months ago in Greece”.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “I have texted my daughter and she hasn’t given me any updates about missing personnel or saved personnel.

Ayla Ronald sent her father a heartbreaking message (Clifford Chance)

“She has only said to me that there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive.

“Ayla is a lawyer who is part of the legal team that was invited to go sailing as a result of the success in the recent United States court case.

“The only other information I’ve got is that Ayla’s phone is apparently the only one that’s had a battery, and so she’s been acting in some fashion as a co-ordinator with the medics.”

Also speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Lin revealed that his daughter is “very shaken” following the ordeal, but added that she’s “recovering”.

The superyacht sank just off the coast of Italy (Vincenzo Pepe/Getty Images)

The search for the six people still missing continues as tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah Lynch, Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo are still unaccounted for.

So far, one body has been found and identified as the ship's chef, Recaldo Thomas.

Italian investigators are now exploring the theory that the yacht was able to sink so quickly due to portholes and hatches being left open, as experts warned it would've drastically impacted how quickly water was able to enter the boat.

CCTV footage shows the moments before the superyacht sank (Giornale di Sicilia)

The editor of Sailing Today, Sam Jefferson, said: “I would have said that the boat got hit very hard by the wind, it was pinned over on its side.

“I imagine all the doors were open because it was hot, so there were enough hatches and doors open that it filled with water very quickly and sank like that. The reason it got pinned over so hard was because the mast is huge.”

The Italian Coastguard is still working under the assumption that the six missing passengers are still inside of the boat, with Vincenzo Zagarola explaining he believes they wouldn't have had time to escape.

The majority of those onboard were reportedly in their cabins and rooms when horror struck.