Four people died in a serious maritime accident that happened yesterday around 11:38 a.m. in the Split Gate, between the islands of Solta and Brač. The tragedy occurred in the collision between a passenger catamaran of a local company and a sailboat under the French flag, which then sank. All the victims were Czech citizens, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure reported.
At the time of the collision, there were eight Czech citizens on the sailboat, while there were 118 passengers and seven crew members on the catamaran. Four people from the sunken sailboat were rescued from the sea and transported to KBC Split with injuries, and according to initial information, all of them are out of danger, writes Index.hr.
Body found in wreckage
MUP divers located the wreckage of the sunken sailboat at a depth of more than 50 meters. The body of the fourth person they were looking for was also found in the cabin, confirmed the captain of the Split Port Authority Željko Kuštera this morning for N1 Television.
“The bodies will be retrieved, DORH will give an order and take out the ship. The depth is over 50 meters and we have to be very careful, these are demanding operations. Everything must be done in a safe way,” said Kuštera.
Captain: I don’t remember a tragedy like this
Captain Kuštera confirmed that the sailboat had proper papers and that it was motor-powered at the time of the collision. Visibly shaken, he expressed grief over the accident.
“I don’t remember a tragedy like this that affected all the people and employees involved in shipping, these are the guests who came to us. It’s a combination of such circumstances, one big pain,” said Kuštera, adding: “This is one big tragedy, there’s no money in the pocket. I’ve never experienced something like this in more than thirty years of my career.”
Investigation into the causes of the accident
The services have started an investigation to determine the exact circumstances that led to the collision. The investigation at the scene is conducted by the deputy of the county state attorney’s office with the help of experts and the police. The Agency for the Investigation of Accidents in Air, Maritime and Railway Transport has confirmed that it is opening a safety investigation, and the competent authorities of France and the Czech Republic have been informed of everything.
Maritime forensic expert Damir Višić warned that it is too early to draw conclusions. “A ship shorter than 20 meters must avoid larger ships on waterways and narrow canals. Why this happened, too little information has reached us. Maybe there was a technical failure,” Višić told HRT. The head of the National Navigation Safety Center, Damian Dundović, said the same thing, stressing that more will be known after the official investigation.
Condolences to the families of the victims
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea Oleg Butković and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman sent their sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the Czech people and their officials.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced: “Today we were struck by the extremely sad news of the death of at least three Czech citizens after a collision between a sailboat and a catamaran in Croatia… We send our sincere condolences to the survivors and the families of the victims.”
Changes in maritime traffic
The catamaran Krilo Eclipse, which was involved in the accident, arrived in Split yesterday evening, where it is involved in the further action of the competent services. It is one of the largest and fastest catamarans in the Krilo fleet, 56 meters long, which can accommodate up to 440 passengers and reach a speed of up to 42 knots.
Due to the accident, the Agency for Coastal Line Maritime Transport has informed about the interruption of the state high-speed ship line 9602 Split – Milna – Hvar – Vis. Re-establishment of the line is expected today, June 15, with departure from Split at 4 pm. In order to provide transportation for passengers, the sailing schedule of the ferry Petar Hektorović has been changed, which will set sail from Vis for Split an hour later, at 7 p.m., and tickets for the catamaran will also be valid for the ferry, it says. Index.hr.
(TIP/Photo: Index.hr)
