Santander (EFE).- Two crew members of a fishing boat have died and a third is missing in a shipwreck that occurred this morning off the coast of Santander, in Cabo Mayor, from which the other seven crew members of the ship have been rescued.
One of the two deceased crew members is from Santander and the other from Ghana, while the missing person is of Peruvian origin, as reported in a statement by the Government Delegation in Cantabria.
The purse seiner Vilaboa Uno notified Salvamento Marítimo at 4:10 a.m. that it had a leak in the hull and that it was sinking.
Six of its ten crew members were able, a short time later, to be rescued by two other boats that were in the area, which failed to revive two other fishermen.
Another crew member of the ship was rescued by a Santander pilot launch and a tenth fisherman from this ship, based in Santander, is missing and they continue to search for him in the area of the shipwreck.
Maritime Rescue has reported in a statement that it continues to coordinate the search for that crew member, specifically six miles from the coast of Santander where the fishing boat sank, and the Helimer 202, the Salvamar Deneb, the tugboat María de Maeztu, fishing boats that are in the area, the patrol boat and the helicopter of the Civil Guard, and that of the Government of Cantabria.
Of the seven rescued crew members, one is in serious condition, according to Maritime Rescue.
It has also announced that an investigation will be opened by the Commission for the Investigation of Maritime Accidents and Incidents
The fishermen of the two boats that have come to the rescue of the Vilaboa Uno, shipwrecked this morning six miles off the coast of Santander, have assured that they arrived at the place of the sinking half an hour after the warning from the fishing boat and that “the sea was no longer visible.” boat”, just some gear and buoys.
These two fishing boats were able to rescue, with the help of Maritime Rescue who later went to the scene, seven crew members of the boat -one of them serious- and the two fishermen who had died. Another remains still missing.
Antonio Fernández Sanjosé, patron of Siempre Nécora, based in the Cantabrian town of Colindres; Lamine Faye, fisherman on that boat; and Miguel Ángel Rosales, a crew member of the Ave Fénix, the other Santander fishing boat that came to the scene, have told journalists how the rescue of his companions has been.
The three fishermen have addressed the media in the fishing port of Santander, where this Monday there is sadness over the death of two of the ten crew members of the Vilaboa Uno, and concern over the disappearance of another fisherman, who is being sought in the place of the sinking, six miles from Cabo Mayor.
The skipper of the Siempre Nécora has explained that around two in the morning they received notice from the ship based in Santander that they were sinking.
In the half hour it took them to reach the area, they only saw gear, two buoys and a balloon beacon from the fishing boat’s skipper, which is about 32 meters long. “You couldn’t see the ship at all,” he insisted.
He has assured, however, that he was not concerned about the ship but its crew, seven of whom were rescued by this fishing boat, one of them already deceased, although they tried to revive him.
Among these seven rescued was the skipper of Vilaboa Uno, but Fernández Sanjosé has indicated that they did not speak, they were all “in shock” and they were only treated to avoid hypothermia.
Sánchez shows his affection and support to the families of the deceased fishermen
The President of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, has conveyed all the affection and affection of the Government of Spain and the whole of society to the families of the two crew members of the fishing vessel Vilaboa Uno who died in the shipwreck that occurred at dawn this Monday in Cantabria and has sent their support to the relatives of the missing crew member.
For his part, the President of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Revilla, has expressed his perplexity that the sinking of the fishing vessel Vilaboa 1 in the waters of Santander occurred when the boat was empty, since it was going to fish, and the state of the sea was very good.
Santander City Council decrees three days of mourning
The Santander City Council has decreed three days of official mourning for this shipwreck, during which its flags will fly at half mast and it will call for a minute of silence in memory of the deceased sailors.
The mayoress, Gema Igual, has conveyed her condolences for the death of two fishermen in the shipwreck of the Villaboa Uno ship, a “tragedy for Santander and for the Fishing District”, where the two crew members were from and where the ship had its mooring.
The Consistory has also offered psychological support to the people closest to the sailors, as well as to all the neighbors who need it.