Italian Coast Guard Continues Search for Spanish Businessman Lost at Sea

Italian maritime authorities are intensifying their search efforts for Spanish businessman Juan José Mutilba, 66, who fell from his sailboat, the Theorema, into the Ionian Sea. The operation, coordinated by the Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Sub-Center in Reggio Calabria, commenced on Friday and has been ongoing, utilizing Coast Guard aircraft and the cooperation of passing merchant vessels.

According to a statement from the Italian Coast Guard, search operations conducted thus far have not yielded positive results. The current search area is approximately 120 nautical miles southeast of Capo Spartivento, within Italian search and rescue waters, based on the vessel's last known position.

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This morning new operations were carried out, and others are planned for the coming hours, involving merchant ships transiting the area and the air force of the Coast Guard.

Mutilba embarked on a voyage with his wife a week prior, departing from Siracusa, Italy, with the intended destination of Pilos, Greece. His family reported that on Tuesday morning, while fishing for tuna, Mutilba slipped on the fish's blood and fell overboard. His wife reportedly struggled to react immediately and faced challenges contacting emergency services due to a lack of mobile coverage.

Three days after the incident, on Friday, she managed to establish communication and alerted a family friend, an experienced navigator. This friend then contacted Spain's Maritime Rescue, which in turn liaised with their counterparts in Italy and Greece to initiate the search. The search has also involved an aircraft from Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

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The search activities carried out so far have not yielded positive results.