Croatian maritime authorities launch an extensive search and rescue operation in the Adriatic Sea after four young Portuguese tourists went missing in an inflatable boat during severe weather.
BELGRADE: Croatia launched a search in the Adriatic Sea Wednesday after four young Portuguese tourists went missing in their inflatable boat in severe weather, the national maritime rescue agency said.
The four disappeared early in the morning in the Velebit Channel — a stretch of the Adriatic between Croatia’s Velebit mountain range and the popular tourist islands of Krk, Rab and Pag.
The area is known for powerful and dangerous winds that frequently disrupt maritime traffic.
Rescuers said they had found an abandoned floating object near the coast of Krk matching the description of the group’s boat.
“A report of four missing persons, Portuguese nationals, was received at 4:41 am from an acquaintance,” rescuers said, describing them as “young” but offering no further details about their identities.
The four had set off from a local campsite in a recreational inflatable boat measuring up to 1.5 metres (just under five feet), intending to paddle along the coast, but then contact was lost the statement said.
“Given the adverse conditions at sea since yesterday, with strong wind gusts and waves of up to three metres, a search and rescue operation was immediately launched,” it added.
In late July, an Austrian skipper also went missing after falling into the sea while sailing in the Adriatic during severe weather near the island of Solta.
The search was called off after four days without success despite an intensive operation involving a military aircraft.
Croatia is a popular tourist destination, and last year the Balkan country of 3.8 million people hosted nearly 22 million visitors.
Most flock to Croatia’s Adriatic coast, dotted with more than 1,000 islands and islets, where nautical tourism is increasingly popular.
