Four Swiss on board Viking ship capsizes off Norway - one woman drowns
A replica Viking ship capsized off the coast of Norway on Tuesday. A 29-year-old US-American woman drowned. Four Swiss nationals were also on board, one of them as skipper and expedition leader.
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- A replica Viking ship capsized in a storm off the coast of Norway on Tuesday.
- A 29-year-old American woman died as a result.
- Among the five survivors are four Swiss nationals, one of whom was the skipper and leader of the expedition.
Like the Vikings, a team of six wanted to sail and row from the Faroe Islands to Norway. A storm put an end to their expedition. A wave capsized the replica Viking ship called "Naddodur". The only woman on board did not survive the accident.
Of the five survivors, four are Swiss, including the skipper, and one is Faroese. The deceased is reportedly a 29-year-old archaeologist from the USA.
The police are now assuming it was an accident. A large wave capsized the boat with the six adventurers, including four Swiss nationals.
Police: not a mistake, but a tragic accident
Based on interviews with the five survivors, the investigators have come to the conclusion that it was a "tragic accident" and that no one can be held criminally responsible for the death of the person concerned. For this reason, no further investigations will be initiated and the police are closing the case, according to a statement.
The Naddoddur set sail from the south of the Faroe Islands last weekend. The destination of the voyage was Norway. The skipper and expedition leader was the Swiss Andy Fitze Depending on the source, the six are referred to as explorers or adventurers.
On Tuesday, the open and motorless boat capsized off the coast of western Norway in stormy seas with waves up to five metres high.
Waves up to five meters high
According to the police, the survivors reported strongly changing weather conditions at sea. The weather had suddenly become much worse than forecast. The crew had taken down the mainsail and hoisted a smaller one when the boat was capsized by a large wave from behind. All six crew members ended up in the water and the woman was stuck. The others were able to free her, but were unable to resuscitate her.
As footage from NRK and the Faroese radio station KVF showed, the almost ten-metre-long wooden ship has since been towed by a coastguard vessel to the port of Måløy, around 170 kilometers north of Bergen, where it was brought ashore. According to KVF, a memorial service was held on a jetty in the Faroese town of Tvøroyri, where the boat had started its journey.
