The Diplomat
The Government, through Salvamento Marítimo (Maritime Rescue), has deployed a maritime and air device to rescue the 24 crew members (16 Spaniards, five Peruvians and three Ghanaians) of the fishing boat Villa de Pitanxo, with home port in Marin (Pontevedra) and that has been shipwrecked about 450 kilometers east southeast of Newfoundland (Canada).
According to the latest data, so far three people have been rescued alive and at least seven have died, while the rest are still missing. The President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, contacted the Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, and the Ambassador to Canada, Alfredo Martínez Serrano, in order to have continuous information on the accident. The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, the Second Vice-President and Minister of Labor, the Galician Yolanda Díaz, and the leader of the opposition, Pablo Casado, have expressed their concern and have joined in the condolences for the victims. For her part, the Canadian Ambassador to Spain, Wendy Drukier, has expressed her “sincere condolences to the crew members of the Villa de Pintanxo and their families”.
Maritime Rescue -depending on the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda-, through the National Rescue Coordination Center in Madrid and the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Halifax -coordinating center responsible for the area where the shipwreck has occurred-, has mobilized two fishing boats, a rescue vessel and a helicopter from Canada. One of the vessels has rescued three crew members alive from a life raft and has also located several bodies.
