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Search Continues for Spanish Businessman Missing After Falling from Catamaran in Ionian Sea
🇬🇷 Greece /Disasters & Emergencies

Search Continues for Spanish Businessman Missing After Falling from Catamaran in Ionian Sea

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • An investigation continues into the disappearance of a 66-year-old Spanish businessman who fell from a catamaran in the Ionian Sea on August 18.
  • The man's wife claims he slipped on fish blood while trying to move a tuna he had caught and fell overboard.
  • The family states they have been traveling this route for five years and the father had extensive sea experience, though this was their first trip on this specific catamaran.

An intense search is underway in the Ionian Sea for a 66-year-old Spanish businessman who vanished after falling from a catamaran. The incident occurred on August 18, leaving authorities and family members in a state of anxious anticipation.

According to his wife, the man fell overboard while attempting to move a large tuna he had successfully caught. She reported that he slipped on the fish's blood, leading to his plunge into the sea. She shouted for him to stop the boat, but due to the circumstances, she was unable to immediately halt the catamaran, which then drifted away from the location where he fell.

Information from Spanish media suggests a family friend was monitoring the boat's progress, though it remains unclear if they communicated with the vessel or alerted authorities at the time. The wife, who reportedly experienced shock following the incident, underwent standard procedures for maritime accidents and was subsequently released.

According to what his wife reports, the man had caught a tuna that had hooked and during his attempt to move it, he slipped on the fish's blood and fell into the sea.

— Ta NeaThe Greek newspaper reports the wife's account of how the incident occurred.

The couple's son has provided further details, corroborating his mother's account of the events near southern Messenia. He emphasized that the family had frequented this sea route to Greece for five years, and his father possessed over 13 years of maritime experience. However, this was their inaugural voyage on the specific catamaran they had acquired shortly before the trip.

Questions linger regarding the safety equipment on board and the precise circumstances of the fall, which the wife described as occurring in international waters. The family points to bloodstains on the right side of the catamaran as evidence of where the 66-year-old was cleaning the fish before his fall.

The mother is in Spain and, according to her son, remains in a state of shock after her husband fell into the sea. She describes that, although she had a handling license, she panicked and it took time to control the boat and call for help.

— Ta NeaThe son relays his mother's state and actions immediately following the fall.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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