Body of missing young soldier found in Povoa de Varzim

A group of eight people in their 20s were dragged by the sea earlier this Friday to Lagoa beach in Povoa de Varzim. The alarm was issued at 4:48 am. The body of the missing young woman has already been found and rescued by the Portuguese army and air force.

The captain of the port of Povoa de Varzim, District of Porto, said this Thursday that “everything leads to believe” that the body rescued this afternoon at sea, near Praia da Lagoa, belongs to a young soldier in his 20s who this morning was washed away by a wave.

“An Air Force helicopter picked up a body of water that appears to belong to the missing girl,” Teles said.

The head of the operation stated that since receiving the report of the young woman’s disappearance at 04:48 a.m., “every means involved has done everything possible to try to bring the person back alive, which, unfortunately, was not possible.”

“At least we managed to find a body that, if it is confirmed to be a military body, will allow the family to mourn their own,” Teles shared.

The Minister of Defense and the Army mourned the death of a young man in Povoa do Varzim.

The army statement also added that “psychological support for family members continues to be provided through the Center for Applied Psychology of the Portuguese Army.”

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, also expressed his condolences.

A group of young people were in a bar next to the beach and around 4:30 in the morning they left this place and went to the waterline to get their feet wet, after which they were taken by the waves. According to the information provided cm, The group consisted of four girls and four boys. Initially, two girls entered the sea and were swept away by the waves, with the rest of the group entering the sea later to try and rescue them.

The young people are army soldiers and are trained at the Military School of the Portuguese Army located in Povoa de Varzim. This Thursday, the victims completed a driving course, a specialty that allows them to drive military vehicles, and headed to a nightclub to celebrate the end of the stage.

Ani Muskuta Fonseca Dabo made her military debut in her freshman year of 2019, which ended in May of that year. After completing this course, Ani and the rest of the military entered the school to study other specialties. A young woman from Amadora.

Searches are carried out at the scene, which are coordinated by the Maritime Police. Povua is awaiting the arrival of a team from the maritime agency’s innovation core with search and rescue technology, namely unmanned aerial vehicles. With this team, NCIS agents follow them to operate and establish a search perimeter using technology in the area and in remote hard-to-reach areas.

When the NCIS arrived on the scene, Povoa do Varzim firefighters were already on the beach providing assistance.

The rescued young people were taken to the hospital by Povoa de Varzim volunteer firefighters, where they receive medical care. First, girls who were in a state of shock were transported. Psychologists have already been called in to support the group. The young people were admitted to the hospital at 5:20 am, they had symptoms of hypothermia, pre-drowning and minor traumatic injuries in the form of muscle pain. Blood alcohol levels were not significant.

The search began this Friday morning, from the air and the ground, involving Povoa do Varzim operatives and the Maritime Police. According to the commander of the Naval Police, the search began on land before sunrise, after which air support was requested. More recently, offshore searches have been launched using a lifeboat.

The Portuguese Armed Forces helicopter returned to the scene after refueling.

The search operations were coordinated by the Harbor Master and the local commander of the Maritime Police of Povoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde.

A military investigation will be launched to ascertain the condition of the young people at the time of the accident. The SP was not called to the scene. If a crime is suspected, the case is referred to the police.

At this time, the three rescued youths were transferred to a military hospital in Porto, as they needed further treatment. The rest remain in the Povoa de Varzim hospital for logistical reasons only. Four young people who were in the Povoa de Varzim hospital have already been discharged.

Searches were intensified this Friday afternoon to find the body of a young soldier, which was spread across Praia dos Baiginhos.

Some of those rescued have already been interrogated, while the rest will be interrogated in the next few hours by both the army and the navy.