The three survivors of the sinking of a Spanish fishing boat in Canada arrived this Saturday at the Canadian port of San Juan de Terranova with the bodies of seven companions, Spanish authorities announced.

“The ship ‘Playa Menduiña Dos’, with 3 survivors and 7 bodies from the sinking of the ‘Villa de Pitanxo’, arrived this morning at 11:30 a.m. peninsular Spanish time [10H30 GMT] at the Canadian port of Saint John”, in Newfoundland (west), announced the Spanish sea rescue agency, Salvamento Marítimo, on Twitter.

On Friday, another ship that had participated in the rescue together with two other bodies of the Galician fishing vessel “Villa de Pitanxo” arrived at the same port.

This 50 meter long boat, based in the Galician fishing village of Marín, Pontevedra (Galicia, north-west), sank 450 kilometers off the Canadian island of Newfoundland on Tuesday, with 24 crew members, of whom 3 survived, 9 died and 12 are missing.

Throughout the day, the nine dead were formally identified, informed the delegation of the Spanish government (prefecture) in Galicia.

“The lifeless bodies rescued belong to five Spanish sailors, three Peruvians and a Ghanaian“, announced the delegation in a press release published on Saturday evening.

In the case of the survivors, “the Consulate General will provide them with all the necessary support for the mandatory compliance with Canada’s immigration and customs formalities”, according to a previous statement from the Spanish government.

The three survivors are two Spaniards and a Ghanaianof a crew in which they were traveling, including themselves, 16 Spaniards, 5 Peruvians and 3 Ghanaians.

According to relatives, the two Spaniards are the captain of the ship and his nephew, and a Ghanaian sailor.

The Spanish government also announced that a military plane would fly to Newfoundland on Sunday to fly survivors and rescued bodies back to Spain.

“The Spanish government will charter, tomorrow Sunday, an Air Force A-400 plane, bound for San Juan de Terranova airport, for the repatriation of survivors and victims,” the executive explained. Spanish in its press release.

Hopes of finding any of the 12 missing alive are nil, given the low water temperatures and rough seas in recent days, but the Spanish government, at the request of relatives, asked the Canadian to try to resume the search. (YO)