Five of the eight crew members (originally reported as 12, but the figure has been corrected) of a fishing boat that sank on Friday, June 16 off the coast of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, in the south of the country, during a cyclone, were found alive more than than 24 hours later, on the night of this Saturday, 17.
Five are in good health, according to a Brazilian Navy statement, while the search for the remaining three continues.
Five fishermen were found by a tugboat that joined the search, as well as fishing boats and boats of all types, after a shipwreck warning was given around 9pm local time Friday and 1am Saturday in Lisbon. They survived on a makeshift raft, not knowing what happened to the other members of the ship’s crew.
The discovery of five survivors was considered by many to be a real miracle, as they drifted 180 km from the coast for more than a day, faced with strong winds, heavy rain, very high waves and the coldest temperature of the year. The ship sank during a severe cyclone with wind speeds over 200 km per hour that hit the neighboring state of Rio Grande do Sul, killing at least 11 people and 20 missing, and whose devastating effects also affected Santa – Katarina.
After finding the five survivors, the Navy sent reinforcements to the crash area, including a frigate and two helicopters. Private fishing and pleasure boats also traveled to the remote area where the crew members were found, hoping to find the three missing fishermen, also alive.
Author: Domingos Grilo Serrinha This Correspondent in Brazil
Source: CM Jornal
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