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Almudena Santos
Galicia
Wednesday, 24 July 2024, 12:37
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The Galician fishing vessel Argos Georgia issued a distress alert when it was some 170 miles southwest of the Falkland Islands. The crew, made up of 27 people, ten of them Spanish, issued an SOS call for help because a storm had damaged the vessel, which was sinking. For now, the Falklands' maritime authorities have confirmed the death of eight crew members, the disappearance of another five and the rescue of 14 people. Among the dead are two of the ten Spaniards who made up the crew: the fishing skipper and the cook, both Galicians. Another of the missing is also Spanish.
Among those rescued are the captain, the first officer and the chief engineer, all of them from Ribeira (A Coruña). They, along with the rest of the survivors, are being treated at the King Edward VII hospital in Port Stanley. In addition to the Spaniards, the crew was made up of eight Russians, two Uruguayans, two Peruvians and five Indonesians, according to local media reports.
The persistence of bad weather and the remoteness of the life rafts in which the crew took refuge when they saw that the fishing boat, flying the St Helena flag and measuring 54 metres long and 13 metres wide, was wrecked, made rescue work difficult. In fact, at the time when the alert was issued from the Argos Georgia, winds of 35 knots and swells of between five and six metres were recorded. The weather did not improve as the hours progressed.
During the rescue operation, which began on Monday night in the Falkland Islands (five hours ahead of mainland Spain) and in which aircraft were also used, several ships offered to help the rescue teams. In fact, the Chilean fishing boat Puerto Toro located two of the six lifeless bodies. Another vessel, owned by the Vigo-based company Robin M. Lee, was responsible for finding a third body. For this crew, the news was not only negative: they rescued one of the fourteen people who managed to survive the event. The other thirteen people were found by a British patrol boat after they had been in the ocean for at least 15 hours in temperatures of no more than 5C.
As reported by the archipelago's emergency control, and later confirmed by Spain's ministry of foreign affairs, the crew consisted of 27 sailors, including ten Spaniards. When they saw that the vessel was beginning to sink, they decided to launch two lifeboats into the sea, which they all shared. Although they had three emergency life rafts, they were only able to use two because the third did not inflate completely.
The minister of foreign affairs, José Manuel Albares, indicated on TVE , shortly after learning of the incident that five of the ten Spaniards are Galicians. However, he did not want to "offer" any other information about them until "talking to the families" of the crew members and "having the data completely verified".
While explaining this, the minister indicated that his department had proceeded to "activate" all consulates in the area. He also announced that they were already "in contact" with the authorities in charge of the rescue work. However, Albares did say that the government had not planned to send personnel to help in the operation due to the "speed" with which everything is taking place.
"I deeply regret the tragedy of the fishing vessel Argos Georgia in the Falkland Islands. From the Partido Popular we send our condolences to the families of the deceased crew members and to all those affected by this terrible accident. Our thoughts are with you", wrote the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, on hearing the news. These words were echoed by the government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, who wanted to convey all the support and solidarity to the families of the crew members and pointed out that Salvamento Marítimo is in contact with them to inform them of the operation.
The Xunta's Regional Minister for the Sea, Alfonso Villares, said he was following "very closely the evolution of the rescue", while sending his "love and support" to the families of those affected. "We hope that the crew members return to their homes in the best possible condition," he added.
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