An American woman died when a boat sank during a once-in-a-lifetime Viking voyage off the coast of Norway on Tuesday.
Mexican-American archaeologist Karla Dana, 29, from Florida, died after her replica boat capsized in rough seas while she and five other people ventured from the Faroe Islands to Norway, according to a local Faroe Islands paper .
The other five people 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.
Waves reportedly reached 16 feet during the harrowing journey, enough to completely engulf and swallow the small boat, dubbed the Naddoddur. The crew sent a distress signal after encountering the harrowing waves on the fourth day of the expedition.
The Norway Sea Rescue Society said the conditions just to the west of the Norwegian town of Stad were harrowing, sharing a video of what the ocean looked like at the time. The footage shows massive 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.
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Speaking to the BBC, he said the boat, which was about 33 feet long, had been used for previous Viking voyages to Iceland , Shetland and Norway as he described it as "not a Viking boat" but a "Faroes fishing boat with a motor but with sails."
Ultimately, however, he said his lips were sealed about he incident, as the Norwegian authorities still needed to speak to him. Locals in the area were reportedly in shock about what happened, with one seaman telling the BBC that while visitors were excited to go on expeditions using the boat, he wouldn't have done so himself.
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, the American woman and a Norwegian from the Faroe Islands.
Ocean rower Livar Nysted, from the Faroe Islands, said navigating storms said: "You just try to do the best you can. It's an open boat. You sleep under the stars, and when it's raining or windy, you can feel the elements."
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