Death toll rises to seven, with 14 missing in Galician fishing boat tragedy

Galician fishing boat tragedy sees death toll rise to seven, with 14 crew members missing.

As confirmed this evening, Tuesday, February 15, by Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, the president of the Xunta, the death toll in the shipwreck of the Galician fishing boat ‘Villa de Pitanxo’ off the Canadian coast of Newfoundland has risen to seven. Another 14 of the 24 crew members are still missing.

Three crew members have been rescued, including Juan Padin, the skipper of the trawler. Another crew member had been rescued by another Spanish fishing vessel in a state of hypothermic shock. A maritime aerial device continues the search for more possible survivors.

Maica Larriba, the sub-delegate of the government in Pontevedra, reported the shipwreck earlier this morning. Its crew comprised 16 Spanish citizens, five Peruvians, and three Ghanaians were travelling. “At 5 in the morning, contact was lost, the beacon jumped. Until recently we did not have any information” Larriba said.
The ship was about 450km off the coast of Newfoundland at the time of the incident. Several life rafts have already been found, with which the air and maritime rescue teams coordinated their searches.
A helicopter and a boat were deployed to the area, in addition to other fishing boats that have been mobilised. One of whom has recovered a raft with three survivors and four bodies.

Nores Marin, the owner of the Villa de Pitanxo issued a statement indicating that “the causes” that could cause the sinking are unknown and that efforts are focused on the rescue, but Salvamento Maritimo has indicated that there was “wind, bad sea, and reduced visibility”.

Rosa Quintana, Minister of the Sea of ​​the Xunta de Galicia, confirmed this afternoon that at the time and place where the fishing vessel was fishing, “there was very bad weather, and the situation was very complex”, as reported by 20minutos.es.
UPDATE: The latest report is of 10 dead, and 11 crew missing

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