A strong wave likely capsized a Viking replica ship off Norway, police say

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A robust wave was doubtless accountable for the capsizing of a Viking ship duplicate earlier this week off Norway’s coast that killed a U.S. citizen, police stated Thursday, describing it as a “tragic accident” that didn’t represent a legal matter.

The wood duplicate, known as Naddodd, was crossing the North Atlantic from the Faeroe Islands to Norway with a global group of six individuals. The ten-meter (33-feet) double-masted vessel constructed on the Faeroes had departed the islands positioned midway between Scotland and Iceland on Saturday.

On Tuesday, it sailed into robust winds and excessive waves and late that night time, the ship capsized off the coastal city of Stad, about 346 kilometers (215 miles) from the capital of Oslo.

Survivors informed police that the climate “all of the sudden turned considerably worse than predicted with very excessive waves.” Rescuers stated a number of the waves had been as much as 5 meters (16 ft) excessive on the time.

The 5 survivors had managed to get into an inflatable life raft and had been had been later airlifted to security by helicopter. A sixth particular person, who had been trapped beneath the vessel, drowned, police stated. The sufferer’s physique was discovered on Wednesday.

Police haven’t launched the title of the sufferer however Norwegian and Faeroese media recognized her as 29-year-old archaeologist Karla Dana, from Florida.

“Thrilled to be part of this crew, fearlessly embarking on this Nordic voyage on a Viking ship duplicate throughout the North Sea, pushing by bodily and psychological limits to sail into historical past,” Dana had posted on her LinkedIn profile earlier than the journey.