Spanish police searching for missing man who dived into river where hunt for crocodile continues

Spanish police are searching for a missing man who dived into a river in Valladolid where the hunt for a crocodile continues.

THE male, believed to have been drunk, dived into Pisuerga River, where the Guardia Civil has been trying to local a one and a half metre long crocodile, allegedly spotted by a number of witnesses at the weekend.

The National Police and Fire Department began their search for a 36-year-old man yesterday afternoon, who dived into the Pisuerga River, on the beach of Las Moreras in Pesqueruela, Valladolid, and has disappeared, sources from the Government Delegation told Europa Press.

It is reported the missing male, “with clear symptoms of drunkenness”, got undressed and entered the water “with the intention of reaching the other bank” but has not been seen since.

The search was suspended at nightfall due to poor visibility and was expected to be resumed early this morning.

Since Saturday, June 6, members of Guardia Civil’s Seprona of the Guardia Civil and Local Police Simancas have been looking for a crocodile sighted in the area of Pesqueruela, with the help of a drone.

Several people claimed to have seen the animal at the confluence of the rivers Duero and Pisuerga.

A professional tracker said evidence pointed to the presence of an otter, but said “that doesn’t mean the crocodile isn’t here”.

Although it was agreed to abandon the search if there were no sightings yesterday, specialists have now decided that a drop in temperature may have left a possible crocodile lethargic, and are now putting out more bait and monitoring the river and its surroundings for a few more days.

Local authorities in the area have asked members of the public to be cautious, and areas around the river have been cordoned off.

https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2020/06/08/professional-tracker-casts-doubt-on-witness-reports-of-a-crocodile-cruising-river-in-spains-valladolid/