The five tragic minutes in which the $40 million superyacht Bayesian sank off Sicily

Survivors of a storm that sank a superyacht off the coast of Sicily described their ordeal to one of the doctors who rushed to their aid. Some said it took just minutes for the 55-metre-long vessel to sink.

Dr. Fabio Genco, head of Palermo's emergency services, told NBC News on Thursday that he arrived in the coastal village of Porticello before dawn on Monday, about an hour after the $40 million Bayesian yacht sank in the violent and sudden storm.

Of the 22 people on board, 15 survived despite the storm and darkness, climbed into a lifeboat and were then rescued by a nearby sailing boat.

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The crew members have not yet made any public statements, but some have been questioned by investigators.

“They told me that it was completely dark, that the yacht pulled itself up and then sank,” Genco said, repeating what the survivors had told him.

“All objects fell on her.

“That’s why I immediately asked questions to make sure they had no internal injuries.”

It seemed like they had only minutes to abandon the sinking ship, Genco said.

“They told me they were suddenly catapulted into the water without knowing how they got there,” he said.

“And the whole thing seems to have lasted three to five minutes.”

Giovanni Costantino, CEO of Italian Sea Group, which owns Perini Navi, the company that built Bayesian, told Sky News there were no flaws in the yacht's design or construction.

He said their structure and keel made boats like this one “unsinkable bodies.”

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he denied any responsibility and instead blamed the crew.

“Mistakes have been made,” he said.

Genco said one of his colleagues who arrived at the scene before him initially believed only three people had survived, but the coast guard reported there were more survivors and additional rescue workers were called.

When Genco arrived, he found scenes of panic and despair.

“Unfortunately, we are used to such scenes of panic because we are used to the shipping accidents on Lampedusa,” said Genco, referring to the island southwest of Sicily, where wrecks of boats carrying migrants by sea from North Africa to Italy are often found.