US Archaeologist Named as Viking Voyage Victim

The American woman who died when a replica Viking boat sank off the coast of Norway has been identified by Norwegian media as Karla Dana, a 29-year-old archaeologist. She was a resident of Orlando, Florida, according to Norwegian broadcaster KVF. The US State Department confirmed to the BBC that an American citizen had died off the coast of Norway but said it would not comment further "out of respect for the privacy of the family."

Five other people were rescued from a life raft after the 30-foot Naddoddur sank in rough seas late Tuesday. The American woman's body was found hours later trapped under the capsized boat, the Local reports. The team had been trying to sail from the Faroe Islands to Norway in a tribute to Viking navigator Naddodd, who is credited with discovering Iceland. The journey had been repeatedly delayed due to bad weather. "Despite the thrill of the upcoming journey, I've promised myself to stop watching videos of the North Sea," Dana wrote in an expedition blog post. "It's hard to keep excitement from turning into fear when you see those waves casually tossing around huge modern boats like toys." (More Vikings stories.)