Teenager Hannah Lynch had promised her parents she would save them if anything happened while they were swimming, a crew member of the has revealed. Hannah, 18, died along with six others, including her father, the , when the Bayesian sank off the coast of Porticello in Sicily on Monday. On Saturday, Sasha Murray, the yacht’s chief stewardess, issued an emotional statement speaking of the teenager’s “deep and loving” connection with her father and with her mother, Angela Bacares.
Ms Murray, the first survivor of the sinking to comment publicly, described the teenager, whose body was the last to be recovered from the wreckage of the boat on Friday, as “a diamond”. She said: “Those who knew her will know that Hannah was a diamond in a sea of stars. Bright, beautiful and always shining.
“What most people may not have seen was the extraordinarily strong, deep and loving relationship she shared with her parents, whom she adored more than anything. “While swimming with them, she often said if anything ever happened she would save them. I have no doubt that the Irish, Latina fire that burns in her soul kept that spirited determination alive.
” Ms Bacares, who also had an older daughter, Esme, with Mr Lynch, was among the 22 survivors of the sinking and is being treated in hospital. A talented student, Ms Lynch scored 100 per cent in her English Literature GCSE and was a scholar at Latymer Upper School, west London, where she was a regular prize-winner. She had won.