Successful Rescue of Two French Sailors
After days of uncertainty and extensive search efforts, two French crew members who had been missing since Sunday have been successfully located. The pair was found safe and sound on the evening of Thursday, May 28, off the coast of Assilah, in northern Morocco. According to the National Maritime Coordination and Rescue Center, they are set to be brought ashore in Cadiz, Spain, likely during the night. This rescue operation was made possible when a commercial vessel spotted them, aided by messages sent to all ships within the search area to be on the lookout for the missing individuals. A representative from the rescue center explained that the identification process was critical to confirm their identities before the commercial ship could take them onboard.
The search began late on Sunday night when the center received an alert regarding the distress of the catamaran named _Stella_. Although the vessel remained afloat, both it and a lifeboat were found abandoned approximately three nautical miles, or about five kilometers, from the shores of Tangier. This incident prompted a large-scale search operation to locate an auxiliary boat, which was equipped with an outboard motor and was also part of the crew's resources.
Extensive Search Operations and Uncertain Circumstances
In response to the distress call, Moroccan authorities deployed a significant number of resources, including two aircraft, two helicopters, and three maritime units. Additionally, divers from the civil protection service and rescue workers scoured the coastline in search of the missing sailors. A French naval aircraft joined the search efforts on Monday but departed the area the same evening. Satellite searches were also implemented, extending the search into Spanish waters. The reasons behind the incident remain unknown, with authorities noting that the sailors did not have a distress beacon on board. According to Adrien Danzé, the father of one of the missing sailors, Vincent, messages indicating water ingress were sent before a subsequent message reported that the crew was abandoning the boat for the lifeboat. The catamaran was en route from Martinique in the French Caribbean to a European port, possibly Barcelona or Marseille.
As reported by franceinfo.fr.
