A Scots student has tragically died after a boat sank during a ‘once in a lifetime’ Viking voyage off the coast of Norway.
Mexican-American archaeologist Karla Dana who was a student at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) died on August 27 after the replica boat capsized in rough seas, according to a local Faroe Islands paper.
The other five people on board got onto an inflatable life raft and were airlifted to safety via a helicopter, the BBC reported. But Karla’s body was found on Wednesday morning not far from where the boat sank.
Huge waves reportedly reached 16 feet during the dream journey which turned into a nightmare when they swallowed the small boat causing it to capsize, reports the Mirror.
Karla had recently decided to pursue a Master’s in Archeology at the UHI campus in Orkney because it “aligned perfectly with her career goals” before her devastating death.
The Norway Sea Rescue Society said the conditions just to the west of the Norwegian town of Stad were harrowing, sharing a terrifying video of what the ocean looked like at the time.
Shocking footage shows giant waves battering the side of the NSSR vessel, splashing against the windshield as the entire boat rocks violently from side to side.
Wind speeds reportedly reached upwards of 45 mph, NSSR reported. Berger Jacobsen, chairman of the Naddoddur boat club based on the Faroe Islands, said everyone was devastated by the tragedy that unfolded on Tuesday.
The Viking expedition had reportedly been postponed for several days already because of bad weather and didn’t leave until Saturday. The crew reportedly contained four Swiss nationals, an American woman and a Norwegian from the Faroe Islands.
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