The fishing vessel "Gonçalo Festas", registered in Vila do Conde, shipwrecked on Friday morning off Sesimbra Marina, after a fire on board that put seven crew members in danger. Six were rescued alive by the vessel "Sebastião Paulo", which was in the vicinity, after approximately three hours at sea. Among the survivors is a Portuguese person in serious condition, with polytrauma, and three people showing signs of hypothermia. All were transported to Setúbal Hospital for clinical evaluation.
An Indonesian fisherman remains missing and authorities consider it "likely" that he may have been trapped inside the sunken vessel. The search for the crew member continued throughout Friday afternoon, involving resources from the Navy, the Sesimbra Lifeboat Station, the Maritime Police and an aircraft from the Air Force.
The vessel's master was discharged from hospital during the afternoon and went to the Maritime Police to provide statements about what happened. The authorities want to understand how the shipwreck occurred in a calm area and why no automatic alert was issued, despite the emergency systems installed on fishing vessels.
