Three people died and another three were missing this morning after a fishing vessel capsized off the beaches of São Pedro do Moel and Vieira, according to a source from the Maritime Authority.
In an update to journalists, at 9:30 am, the commander of the captaincy of Figueira da Foz, Pedro Cervaens Costa, explained that “there were 17 people on board, eleven people were rescued alive, three people died and three people are or currently missing†.
The alert for the listing of the fishing vessel Virgem Dolorosa – which was located approximately one mile from the coast, the equivalent of 1852 meters – was given at 4:33 am to the local command of the Maritime Police of Nazaré.
According to the National Maritime Authority (AMN), of the three fatalities, two were transported to Nazaré and another to Figueira da Foz.
Cervaens Costa said that “several fishing vessels were responsible for the first rescues†. Lusa said, together with an AMN source, that four civil vessels were on site. The captain of the Figueira da Foz captaincy admitted that, if there were no more fishermen in the vicinity, “we would have an even greater tragedy†.
“The vessel is located and visible to the surface. The objective now is to continue to search and rescue,” he added.
The majority of people on the boat, aged between 30 and 50, are from Figueira da Foz (Leirosa), with two crew members from Indonesia, who were rescued alive.
Regarding the reasons that led to the sinking, the person responsible said that the causes of the incident are still unknown. Cervaens Costa clarified that the “sea disturbance was not considerable†, but, “in any case, the proximity to the coast could have meant, there could have been influence from the sea, but that is something which will be investigated during an investigation.”
And he also pointed out that, although some equipment inevitably disappears after a shipwreck, “some of the fishermen had personal protective equipment†.
According to the AMN, a vessel from the Nazaré Lifeguard Station was immediately activated for the search, as well as an Air Force helicopter and an air surveillance team. (‘drones’) of the Nazaré Maritime Police Local Command.
The Maritime Police forensic divers were also activated. In total, there were 38 elements and 20 means of assistance on site at 7:40 am.
Upon arriving at the scene, the lifeboat confirmed that the fishing vessel was only capsized.
[NotÃcia atualizada à s 9h54]
