August 13, 2019 – Details are still emerging about the death of a 64-year-old tourist who was found dead on a yacht off Hvar this morning.
The top story in the Croatian media today is of the tragedy on Hvar of a tourist who was found dead on a yacht. Initial reports suggested that this was related to food poisoning and a plate of mussels in a Hvar restaurant, a theory which seemed credible given that five others dining with the dead man – including two children – were helicoptered to Split for emergency treatment. You can read the latest in the Croatian media here.
I spoke to various local sources in Hvar Town this afternoon to see if I could get any more information, and it appears that while the restaurant has been closed as a precaution by health inspectors, there is another area of investigation ongoing – the air conditioning system on the yacht after the hospital patients reported smelling petrol.
According to the sources I spoke to, the restaurant in question had last been inspected a week ago. On the night in question, only two of the six apparently ate the mussels, and the party left the restaurant at 21:30 and retired to their yacht. The boat left Hvar in the morning only to return to port when the man was found dead and the other diners feeling sick. Ambulances and police were on hand to meet the boat, and the sick tourists were quickly transferred to Split.
Clearly, there is a lot more to this story, and we will bring you the latest as we get it.
