French Sailors Found Safe After Distress at Sea
Two French sailors, who had been missing since Sunday due to complications faced by their catamaran near Tangier, Morocco, were successfully rescued by a commercial vessel on Thursday evening. According to Moroccan maritime rescue authorities, the sailors were found safe and sound off the coast of Assilah. Following their rescue, the sailors are scheduled to be brought ashore in Spain.
The National Maritime Coordination and Rescue Center received an emergency alert on May 24 at approximately 01:15 GMT, indicating that the catamaran named "Stella" was experiencing difficulties while navigating the waters off Tangier. Although the catamaran remained afloat, a nearby empty lifeboat was discovered around three nautical miles, or about five kilometers, from the Moroccan coastline. Subsequently, the catamaran was towed to the port of Assilah.
Efforts to locate the sailors intensified as rescue teams focused on a dinghy equipped with an outboard motor that had been utilized by the crew. Significant search resources were mobilized by Moroccan authorities, which included two aircraft, two helicopters, three maritime units, as well as divers from the Civil Protection and rescue teams stationed along the coast.
According to the father of one of the missing sailors, an initial message reported a water ingress aboard the vessel, followed by a second message indicating that the crew was abandoning the catamaran to board the dinghy. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear at this time.
It is worth noting that this incident echoes a tragic event in 2012 when the catamaran "Love-Love" sank off the northeastern coast of Morocco, resulting in the deaths of four French nationals, while a fifth passenger was reported missing.
As reported by aa.com.tr.
