Two fishermen – one Portuguese and one Spaniard – have been confirmed dead while five others are still thought to be missing in the ongoing rescue operation in Asturias following the sinking of Portuguese fishing boat Santa Ana.
Meantime, two Spanish fishermen were reported to have been rescued since the boat ran into trouble on Monday.
Registered in Leixões, and believed to have been crewed by nine (two Portuguese, five Spanish and two Indonesians), the Santa Ana ran into difficulties near the little island of Ebrosa, near Cabo Peñas. A representative of the Spanish company running the boat said the accident was caused by low-lying rocks which must have broken through the boat’s hull.
The accident happened just a few miles from where the boat put out in the early hours of Monday morning.
As air and sea rescue operations went ahead throughout the day, the remains of the Santa Ana boat bobbed on the water’s surface.
The Santa Ana was working for Spanish company Pescas Balayo.
As news services covered the tragedy, the Portuguese fisherman whose body has been recovered was named as Francisco Rodrigues, 64, from Leça.
A second Portuguese fisherman, Vítor Braga, 43, from Matosinhos, remains missing, along with two Spaniards and two Indonesian crewmembers.
As we went to press, there were some doubts as to whether the Indonesians had been on board, while updated news reports suggested that the missing men’s bodies may still be in the boat.
