Yacht fire victim dies

The man who suffered severe burns when his boat caught fire 10 days ago succumbed to his injuries on Friday night.

Brian Felder, a 58-year-old born in the UK and a resident in Malta, died in hospital, the police said yesterday.

When the fire broke out, Mr Felder had jumped into Marsamxetto Harbour before being rescued by another catamaran.

An inquiry by Magistrate Edwina Grima into the cause of the explosion aboard his boat on the afternoon of May 5 is still underway and an autopsy is now likely to be held as part of the procedure, police said.

Fibreglass is known to be highly flammable, particularly the type used for catamarans to ensure their stability. The danger is all the more acute when a sailor is navigating alone, as was the case for Mr Felder.

That fateful day, eyewitnesses on Valletta's ring road heard an explosion. The vessel immediately burst into flames, with billowing, black smoke.

A Norwegian tourist had said he saw a body floating by the boat, and when it was hauled out of the sea, it seemed motionless. It appeared that the victim could do nothing to help himself out of the water.

According to Mr Felder's rescuer, Daniel Beyers, the South African skipper of the catarman, almost 70 per cent of his body had been burnt. Even though he was conscious and talking at the time, he was clearly in pain, Mr Beyers had said.

Mr Felder's trimaran had just sailed past and its crew had waved to him as he headed out of the harbour when the boat exploded and went up in flames.

An ambulance had picked Mr Felder up from the marina of the Grand Hotel Excelsior, leaving around 30 minutes after arriving on the scene.