Update, 17 June 2026
The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure confirmed that divers have recovered the body of the missing Czech national from the sunken yacht, which came to rest at a depth of around 50 metres. The search and rescue operation has now been officially concluded.
In a separate development, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Davor Božinović confirmed that one person has been detained on suspicion of responsibility for the collision.
According to investigators, there are grounds for suspicion that not all measures necessary to avoid the collision were taken while operating the catamaran. Further investigative actions are continuing under the supervision of the State Attorney’s Office and the national transport accident investigation agency.
Earlier report
A serious maritime accident that occurred on Sunday in the area known as the Split Gates (Splitska vrata) has claimed four lives, after divers discovered another person inside the sunken yacht a day after the collision.
According to an official statement from the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, a report of a collision between two vessels was received by the Split Harbour Master’s Office at 11:34 a.m. on 14 June. The information was immediately forwarded to the National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC Rijeka), which launched a coordinated rescue operation involving all available resources.
The accident involved the passenger vessel Krilo Eclipse, operated by a private Croatian company, and a yacht flying the French flag, which sank following the collision.
At the time of the accident, there were 118 passengers and seven crew members on board the passenger vessel. The yacht was carrying eight people, all Czech nationals. Three people died in the immediate aftermath of the collision, four were rescued from the sea, while one person remained missing.
According to Croatian media outlet Index, divers later found the fourth victim inside the sunken yacht at a depth of around 50 metres, a detail confirmed by Split Harbour Master Željko Kuštera. The recovery of the body is expected to follow, while the State Attorney’s Office is working on organising the recovery of the yacht itself.
The four survivors from the yacht were taken to hospital following the accident. Three have since been discharged, while one remains in hospital receiving further treatment.
The search and rescue operation involved rescue boats from the Split Harbour Master’s Office and its local branches, vessels from the maritime and airport police units in Split, emergency medical services, a helicopter unit and other services specialised in responding to emergencies at sea and on land.
The cause of the accident remains unknown. The investigation and on-site inspection are ongoing and the relevant authorities have so far refrained from speculating about how the collision occurred.
For now, the only certainty is that this is one of the deadliest maritime accidents in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea in recent years.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš following the tragedy. In a post on X, he praised the swift response of the emergency services and wished those injured in the accident a speedy recovery.
