Three people die in tragic ferry accident on Croatian island
- by croatiaweek
- in News
A tragic accident has occurred on the island of Lošinj on Croatia’s northern coast on Sunday afternoon.
The serious accident happened just after 3:00 p.m. on Sunday at the ferry terminal in the town of Mali Lošinj on the island when the entry ramp of the Jadrolinija ferry Lastovo fell and trapped the sailors working on the ferry.
The police reported earlier that two sailors from Jadrolinija died, and one is seriously injured, but later in the day it was confirmed another person had also lost their life.
As Index.hr reported, Jadrolinija released a statement after the news of first two deaths were confirmed.
“With great sadness, we must announce that today in the port of Mali Lošinj, an accident occurred in which, according to initial information, two sailors from Jadrolinija from the ship Lastovo lost their lives, while one was seriously injured.
The ship Lastovo operates the state ferry line Zadar (Gaženica) – Ist – Olib – Silba – Premuda – Mali Lošinj and was docked in Mali Lošinj at the time of the accident.
We express our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased sailors. Jadrolinija is deeply shaken by this unfortunate event,” the statement reads.
Lastovo is a local line ferry classified as a ro-ro passenger ship. It was built in 1969 in Japan for a Japanese client, where it sailed under the name Ishizuchi. In 1978, the ship became part of the Jadrolinija fleet. It most frequently sails on the routes around the Split region,” reads the Jadrolinija website. It is 72.7 metres long and 13.7 metres wide.
Jadrolinija’s Lastovo ferry (Photo: Ivan T./ CC BY-SA 3.0)
Police: The ramp fell on the sailors
According to initial information, the individuals were injured by the falling ramp of the ship.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport, and Infrastructure is continuing its investigation into yesterday’s accident during which three crew members were killed and a fourth was injured. The ship has been prohibited from sailing until all investigative procedures are completed.
Mali Lošinj has declared days of mourning for tomorrow and the day after.
