STOCK ISLAND, Fla. – Authorities in the Florida Keys recovered the body of a St. Petersburg woman Friday who had been presumed dead following a massive yacht fire at a Stock Island marina Wednesday.
Linda Vella, 51, was on the Viking yacht with her husband and son and another family of four when the fire broke out just after midnight at the Perry Hotel and Marina, located at 7101 Shrimp Road, authorities said.
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Vella’s husband and son were seriously hurt and taken to a Miami-area hospital, while the family of four escaped unharmed.
The burned boat, which sank, “was lifted out of the water with great care before it was searched as it was structurally comprised due to the blaze,” Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Adam Linhardt said.
Foul play wasn’t believed to be a factor in the fire, which remained under investigation as of Friday, Linhardt said.