Four German tourists perished Wednesday when their rented fishing boat overturned off the Norwegian west coast, north of Trondheim, officials said, according to dpa. The four, who were wearing life jackets, were picked up lifeless from the sea by a rescue helicopter and a boat, Stein Solberg of the Rescue Coordination Centre in Stavanger said. The Rescue Centre was alerted at 1 pm (1100 GMT). The cause of the accident was not known but there was a strong breeze, Solberg added. Duty police officer Arne Henrik Ulvin said the four Germans were men, but had no details of their ages or hometowns. The bodies have been transported to the University Hospital in Trondheim for formal identification. Ulvin said Norwegian authorities had contacted German counterparts in the matter as well as the German embassy in Oslo. Earlier, duty officer Jan Birger Jacobsen said police were to interview the owner of the boat rental centre and other people in the area. Ulvin confirmed reports that a second fishing boat in the area had alerted authorities.
