Weather complicates search for missing Spaniard in Indonesia after third extension

Labuan Bajo (Indonesia).- The rain, strong winds, and powerful currents are hindering the search operation this Thursday for a Spanish minor who remains missing since the sinking on December 26 of a tourist boat in southern Indonesia, on which a family of six Spaniards were traveling, of whom three have died and two were rescued. "The currents can be quite strong and it is expected that in some search locations it will rain both in the morning and in the afternoon," said yesterday Fathur Rahman, the officer of the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) who coordinates the mission. The boats moored in the port of Labuan Bajo, from where part of the operation is coordinated, set sail this morning around an hour later than their usual schedule, with the first light of day.

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To the port, like every morning since the accident, the missing person's family members went to show their support for the work of the Indonesian rescuers and to thank them for their work.

Extension of the operation until Friday

The search teams approved on Wednesday night to extend -for the third time- the deployment until Friday, although tonight they are expected to analyze the results of the present day to decide the next step. For the extension, the authorities took into account both the formal request made yesterday by the Spanish Embassy in Indonesia and the families' request to make "a last effort". The discovery on Tuesday of the mortal remains of a third victim next to the remains of the ship's hull, about 14 kilometers away from the point where the ship is suspected to have sunk, causes the teams to focus from now on on combing the sea surface and coastal areas. You may be interested The fatalities are Fernando Martín, former footballer and coach of the Valencia CF women's B team; a son of his; and a daughter of his wife, Andrea Ortuño, who was rescued after the accident along with another of her daughters. The youngest who remains missing, aged 10, is the son of the survivor and a former partner. Martín and Ortuño had recently married.