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3 Dead, 1 Missing After Catamaran Strikes Czech Sailing Boat in Croatia Adriatic Collision
16.06.2026 - The death toll has risen to four after rescuers recovered the body of a missing Czech national from the sunken yacht. Three Czech nationals were killed when a passenger catamaran struck a sailing boat in the Adriatic Sea near Split. One person remains missing as investigators open one of the area's most serious maritime inquiries in decades. Update:
One person remained missing on Monday after a collision between a passenger catamaran and a sailing boat in Croatia's Adriatic Sea killed three Czech citizens and sank the smaller vessel. The accident occurred Sunday in the Splitska Vrata strait near Split — one of Croatia's busiest maritime corridors.
The catamaran Krilo Eclipse, carrying 118 passengers, struck a French-flagged sailing boat crewed by Czech nationals. Video circulating on social media showed the much larger vessel striking the smaller boat despite reportedly good visibility at the time.
"According to one of the passengers who was on the boat, one person was inside it, so we assume that they went down with it." — Željko Kuštera, Split Port Authority Captain
An underwater drone operated by the Croatian Navy located the wreck of the roughly 14-metre sailing boat at a depth exceeding 50 metres. Recovery operations were suspended overnight and are expected to resume on Monday. Four people were also injured — three with minor injuries, while one person remains hospitalised with serious spinal injuries.
Under investigation
Croatian authorities have not yet determined the cause. Croatia's Agency for the Investigation of Accidents in Air, Sea and Rail Transport has opened a safety investigation, describing the incident as one of the most serious maritime accidents in the Split area in recent decades. French and Czech authorities have both been notified.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Transport Minister Oleg Butković expressed condolences to the victims' families and to the Czech government. A Czech consul has arrived on scene and is coordinating with Croatian authorities.
"Today we were struck by the extremely sad news of the deaths of at least three Czech citizens following a collision between a sailing boat and a catamaran in Croatia." — Czech Foreign Ministry
