Four Dead After High-Speed Catamaran and Sailboat Collide in Croatia

A collision in the Splitske Vrata Passage in Croatia on Sunday, June 14, (local time) left four sailors dead. According to numerous reports, the high-speed catamaran Krilo Eclipse collided with a French-flagged sailboat carrying eight Czech nationals at around 11:40 a.m. Croatian-flagged Krilo Eclipse was carrying 118 passengers and seven crew and was en route from Split to Hvar. A search and rescue operation was launched quickly involving a helicopter, the coast guard, the Croatian Maritime Rescue Service and several other boats in the vicinity, Maritime News reports. Passengers aboard the Krilo Eclipse were disembarked at Milna and then transferred to another ship that took them to Hvar. Krilo Eclipse was towed to the Port of Split where investigators began an on-site investigation under the supervision of the deputy county state attorney. Maritime authorities examined the accident scene.

Initial reports stated three sailors had died. Four sailors were hospitalized with non-critical injuries and shock. A fourth sailor was missing. Search and recovery operations continued overnight, with police divers locating the sunken sailboat in around 50 meters (164 feet) of water and recovering the body of the fourth sailor on Monday.

Croatian charter group MorskiHR reported today that a criminal investigation is underway, with Krilo Eclipse’s 33-year-old first officer being arrested, “due to reasonable suspicion of committing a criminal offense against traffic safety. Unofficially, it is learned that he is charged with committing the crime through negligence.” The report says the sailboat had come from the direction of Trogir while the catamaran had set sail from Split. “Both vessels were sailing toward the island of Hvar at the time of the accident.”

This video has been widely circulated on social media and news reports:

Maritime News reports that the Split Port Authority is launching an operation “to recover both the sunken sailboat and the remaining wreckage from the seabed. The circumstances leading to the collision remain under investigation.”

IHA News reports that Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has officially extended his condolences to the Czech Republic over the incident.