A fatal accident occurred in the harbour of Scheveningen on Thursday evening in which a steel motor yacht and a Rib collided. There were three people on board the motor yacht and a total of eight on the rib: the driver and seven guests. One person was killed in the terrible accident. Several were injured, one of them seriously. A total of seven people had to be treated as a result of the collision. According to the Dutch daily newspaper "De Telegraaf", one of the skippers involved was arrested - the usual procedure in an accident resulting in death, according to the police spokesman. The other skipper is in hospital and will be heard at a later date. An initial alcohol test is said to have shown that the arrested skipper was not under the influence of alcohol.
The Mayor of The Hague, Pauline Krikke, said that she sincerely hoped that the injured would recover quickly. She also offered all those affected, family members, friends and visitors to The Hague the support of victim support organisations. The police and harbour authority had begun an investigation into the case. "We are waiting for their findings. I do not want to and cannot respond to questions at the moment."
The mayor continued: "The Volvo Ocean Race stopover was a wonderful event that The Hague and Scheveningen really enjoyed. But this accident now casts a dark shadow over it. For now, I would like to thank the rescue workers involved and everyone else for their work. When we know more, we will share the information."
The Volvo Ocean Race management also reacted to the accident. In a statement, they said: "We are saddened and saddened by the news of a serious accident between two boats on Thursday evening in the waters off Scheveningen harbour near the Race Village. No Volvo Ocean Race team and no members of our team were involved. The mayor of The Hague confirmed at a press conference on Thursday evening that one person had died. Three were taken to hospital. One of them is in a critical condition. We would like to express our condolences to the families and friends of all those involved in this accident. We are in contact with the local emergency services and will support the authorities as best we can. Due to the accident, the city has decided to close the Race Village earlier on Thursday and make appropriate changes to the programme on Friday.
For the Volvo Ocean Race, this is the third fatality that has occurred in or around the race during the 13th edition. On the leg to Hong Kong, a Chinese fisherman lost his life in a collision between the boat of the Danish-American team Vestas 11th Hour Racing and a fishing boat. On the Cape Horn leg from Auckland to Itajaí, John Fischer from the Sun Hung Kai / Scallywag team went overboard in a storm and could not be found by his crew despite a desperate search.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
