A sailboat with eight Czechs on board flying under the French flag sank after hitting a large catamaran, the Index website wrote, noting that not only the police and the coast guard, but also a number of private boats were involved in the rescue operations on the spot.
Three people died on the yacht. One person is missing and a search is underway for her. “At the time of the collision, she was in the bowels of the ship, which sank. Local agencies are conducting a search for the wreck of the ship,” said Štěpán Šantrůček, head of the consular department of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Zagreb, in an interview with Czech Television.
“Four other people on the yacht were taken to a local hospital,” added Šantrůček. The four injured were taken to a hospital in Split. She then informed that they were middle-aged Czech citizens. According to the first information, all are out of danger, wrote the Croatian website Index.
Photo: index.hr
At least three Czechs died when a catamaran collided with a sailboat in Croatia
“In three cases, it is supposed to be a minor injury, the fourth is not in direct danger to his life, but will remain in the hospital for some time,” said Šantrůček.
The department also received a list of names of persons who were on the vessel. It will now provide the Croatian authorities with cooperation with identification. He will then contact the families in the Czech Republic.
The catamaran Krilo Eclipse, which collided with the sailboat, was sailing on a regular route between the islands of Šolta and Brač. There were 118 passengers and seven crew members on board.
Everyone on the catamaran escaped without injury, added the website Index, according to which it is “one of the fastest passenger ships operating on the Croatian coast”. According to the server, the giant catamaran can accommodate up to 440 passengers. The company canceled all further connections after the incident.
According to the newspaper Jutarnji list, the head of the port of Split, Željko Kuštera, told the media according to ČTK that the sunken sailboat had all the documents in order. According to him, there were seven passengers and the captain on board. “In my 35-year career, I have never seen anything like this,” he said about the circumstances of the crash.
“Today we were struck by the extremely sad news of the death of at least three Czech citizens after a yacht collided with a catamaran in Croatia,” Czech Foreign Ministry spokesman Adam Čörgő told Novinkám..
“Our consul is on the spot in contact with the local authorities and is actively solving the case. Our thoughts are also with the other injured who remain under the care of doctors. We express our sincere condolences to the survivors and relatives of the victims,” the spokesman added.
Croatian Prime Minister Plenković said in connection with the boat accident that he expresses his sincere condolences to the survivors and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. “All relevant services responded quickly and took action to rescue the passengers from the sailboat, while the intensive search for one person continues,” he wrote on X.
