New shipwreck claims three lives, with two Portuguese still missing

A second fishing tragedy in Asturias has claimed the lives of at least three Portuguese fishermen, while two are still missing.
Following on from last month’s shipwreck of the Santa Ana near the little island of Ebrosa – in which two Portuguese fishermen died – the sinking of the Mar Nosso took place in very much the same stretch of ocean.
Disaster struck on Thursday (April 17), sometime between 11.14am (local time) – when the boat last communicated its position – and 1pm, when it was found keel up by another boat in the area, Mar da Galega.
No Mayday call was reported to have been received, the sea was calm, visibility was good and 24 hours into the tragedy rescue services were still trying to piece together the sequence of events.
Meantime, the bodies of the three dead Portuguese fishermen – all from the northern fishing communities of Caxinas, Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim – were due to arrive back in Portugal over the weekend.
The mayor of Vila do Conde Maria Elisa de Carvalho Ferraz told RTP’s Jornal da Tarde on Friday that the whole borough was in mourning as this was yet another “extremely sad” case of Portuguese fishermen losing their lives under “strange circumstances” in Spain.
Jornal da Tarde reported that all three men were seasoned sailors, very skilled in their profession, and that the boat – a trawler built in 1972 – was in good condition, with all the necessary licences.
As the search continues for the two missing men – Manuel Carinha and Francisco Santos – the families of Américo Santos, António Silva and José Novo, are preparing for their loved ones’ funerals.
Two Portuguese survivors were treated in hospital for hypothermia, along with two Spanish crewmembers. In all, Mar Nosso carried a crew of 12, seven Portuguese and five Spaniards. The Spanish all escaped with their lives.