Tweet Facebook Mail Two New Zealanders were on board a luxury yacht that capsized during a storm in Italy, the country's foreign ministry confirmed. Ayla Ronald, a 36-year-old lawyer from Christchurch who was working in London, was on board the superyacht with her partner Matthew Fletcher when disaster struck, her father Lin Ronald told Stuff . His daughter had texted him that "there are deaths, and she and her partner are alive".
READ MORE: 'Tech king' missing after luxury superyacht sinks in freak storm Ayla Ronald, a 36-year-old lawyer from New Zealand, who was working in London, survived the yacht disaster. (Supplied) The Kiwi, who joined law firm Clifford Chance in 2018, was on the 56m-long superyacht Bayesian with 21 other people when it capsized and sank near the port of Porticello in bad weather early on Monday (Tuesday AEST). One body has been found and six people are missing, including UK tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his daughter, with authorities saying Lynch's wife and 14 others were rescued.
The group was on the boat celebrating Lynch's acquittal on fraud charges. Lin Ronald confirmed his daughter had been working on his case. 'A warship wearing a tuxedo': The world's biggest superyachts View Gallery He told Stuff that Ayla was "very shocked at the moment" and hadn't fully shared the details of what she went through.
"Generally speaking, Ayla and her partner are survivors. They are alive. That's about all I can tell you," he said.
"We spent hours sailing toge.