Death toll of ship collision off Croatia rises to four

A map of Croatia. (Google Maps)

ZAGREB, Croatia - The death toll of a collision between a sailboat and a large passenger catamaran carrying more than 100 people in Croatia has risen to four, a port official said Monday.

The body of the fourth Czech victim, missing since the accident on Sunday in the central Adriatic between the Croatian islands of Brac and Solta, has been found, Split harbour master Zeljko Kustera said.

The missing person was one of eight Czech nationals aboard the French-flagged sailboat at the time of the collision. Three were killed instantly and four were rescued from the sea.

“On Sunday evening, interior ministry divers located the sunken sailboat at the depth of more than 50 metres (164 feet)... and the person we have been searching for is in its cabin,” harbour master Kustera said.

He did not say when the operation to recover the sailboat and the victim’s body would start, stressing that it was a “very demanding operation” due to the depth at which the vessel sank.

“We have to be very cautious,” he told the N1 regional broadcaster.

According to the Split hospital, three Czech nationals sustained minor injuries, while one remained hospitalised with serious spinal wounds.

There were 118 passengers and seven crew members on the catamaran, operated by a private domestic company.

No one aboard the catamaran was injured.

The national air, maritime and railway traffic accidents investigative office said it had informed both the French and Czech authorities about the accident, the cause of which remained unknown Monday.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Sunday offered condolences to the victims’ families and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis.