Image: Search for Portuguese tourist in Croatia illustration/CU
Missing Portuguese tourists in Croatia remain at the centre of an ongoing search and rescue operation in the Velebit Channel, where authorities are still searching for the last missing member of a group of four who disappeared at sea during severe weather on August 12.
Croatia’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rijeka (MRCC Rijeka) said the coordinated search resumed at first light on August 14, following the previously established search plan.
Boats and aircraft search the Velebit Channel
The operation involved a rescue boat from the Rijeka Harbour Master’s Office and another from the Senj Harbour Master’s Office. Police officers from the Rijeka Maritime and Airport Police also joined the search aboard a police vessel.
A Pilatus PC-9 aircraft was once again deployed to search a wider area of the Velebit Channel from the air, as it had been on previous days.
Search focused on Krk and the mainland coast
Most of the August 14 operation focused on the southern side of the island of Krk, from Sv. Marak Bay across Cape Glavina to Mala Luka Bay and Cape Sokol, as well as the central part of the Velebit Channel.
Search teams also covered the mainland coastline between Smokvica and Sveti Juraj.
The entire search area was examined several times by both vessels and aircraft, but no trace of the missing Portuguese national was found.
Authorities confirmed that the search for the final missing member of the group is continuing on August 15.
Search for Portuguese tourist in Croatia began on August 12
The case involving the Portuguese tourist in Croatia began after four Portuguese nationals went missing in the Velebit Channel in the early hours of August 12 while severe weather and strong winds were affecting the area. Two members of the group were subsequently found alive on the island of Krk, while a third was found dead on August 13.
The search for the missing Portuguese tourist in Croatia is now focused on the fourth and last missing person. The previous developments in the case are covered in Third Missing Portuguese Tourist Found Dead Near Krk, Search for Fourth Continues.
