Three survivors of the sinking of a Spanish fishing boat arrive in Canada

Posted On: February 20, 2022

Canadian Air Force helicopters search for survivors of a fishing boat that sank off the country’s east coast in the Atlantic Ocean – Royal Canadian Air Force/AFP/Files

Three survivors of the sinking of a Spanish fishing boat in Canada arrived this Saturday (19) in the Canadian port of San Juan de Terranova along with the bodies of seven comrades, Spanish authorities announced.

“The ship ‘Playa Menduiña Dos’, with 3 survivors and 7 bodies from the wreck of ‘Villa de Pitanxo’, arrived this morning (…) in the Canadian port of Saint John”, in Newfoundland (west), announced the Spanish rescue agency at sea, Marine Rescue, on Twitter.

On Friday, another boat that had participated in the rescue arrived in the same port as two other bodies from the Galician fishing vessel “Villa de Pitanxo”.

The 50-meter-long ship sank on Tuesday 450 kilometers from the Canadian island of Newfoundland, with 24 crew members, 3 of whom survived, 9 died and 12 are missing.

By noon, nine dead people were officially identified, informed the delegation of the Spanish government (prefecture) in Galicia.

“The lifeless bodies that were rescued belonged to five Spanish, three Peruvian and one Ghanaian sailors,” the delegation announced in a statement published late Saturday.

The three survivors were two Spaniards and one Ghanaian, from the crew traveling with them, which included 16 Spaniards, 5 Peruvians and 3 Ghanaians. According to family members, the two Spaniards were the ship’s captain and his nephew, as well as a Ghanaian sailor.

The Spanish government also announced that a military plane would travel to Newfoundland on Sunday to take survivors and rescued bodies to Spain.

Hopes of finding any of the 12 missing alive are nil, given the low water temperatures and rough seas in recent days. However, at the request of family members, the Spanish government asked Canada to try to continue the search.