Body of fourth victim in Croatia ship collision recovered

ZAGREB: The body of the fourth Czech victim missing after the collision between a sailboat and a large passenger catamaran carrying more than 100 people in Croatia was recovered Monday, authorities said.
The missing person was one of eight Czech nationals aboard the French-flagged sailboat when it collided with the catamaran in the central Adriatic between the Croatian islands of Brac and Solta on Sunday. Three were killed instantly and four were rescued from the sea.
“The body of the missing eighth member has been pulled from the sunken sailboat. The body was taken over by police officers for further processing,” the transport and sea ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said further investigations into the causes of the accident would continue under the regional prosecutor’s office and the national air, maritime and rail accident investigation agency (AIN).
Local media have reported that Czech authorities were also expected to join the probe.
“On Sunday evening, interior ministry divers located the sunken sailboat at the depth of more than 50 meters (164 feet)... and the person we have been searching for is in its cabin,” harbor master Zeljko Kustera said earlier.
He did not say when the operation to recover the sailboat 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 hospitalized 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.
AIN said it had informed both the French and Czech authorities about the accident, the cause of which remained unknown on Monday.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Sunday offered condolences to the victims’ families and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis.

Body of fourth victim in Croatia ship collision recovered