Searches by land and sea are continuing today after a 57-year-old Romanian man is reported to have fallen into the sea as he prepared to start fishing with a Moldovian friend, aged 70, early on Sunday morning.
The story is ‘confused’ by the time-line, explains tabloid Correio da Manhã today.
The Romanian purportedly fell into the water at 7am. His friend, however, only informed the man’s wife two hours later. The wife, also Romanian, is understood only to have alerted police at 11am, at which point maritime police were called in.
In other words, no searches got underway until four hours after the Romanian went missing.
According to CM, his Moldovian friend jumped into the water to try and save his younger friend.
Both the Moldovian and the missing man’s wife have given statements as witnesses to police.
The accident happened at a point along the coast known as Maré das Porcas, between Coelha and S. Rafael beaches.
Sunday’s searches took in a 4km stretch between Albufeira and Praia do Galé, Portimão ports captain Santos Arrabaça told CM. Maritime police and Ferragudo’s life saving boat will repeat patrols today.
The missing man is believed to have lived in Portugal “for many years”, adds the paper. He had a home near Coelha beach, and is understood to have worked as a gardener.
