A Civil Guard robot will join the search for the missing fisherman this Wednesday

SANTANDER, 5 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Commission for the Investigation of Maritime Accidents of the Ministry of Transport will begin this Wednesday the investigation of the shipwreck of the 'Vilaboa Uno' in Santander, in which there were two deaths, to determine "what has gone wrong".

In addition, this Wednesday a Civil Guard robot will join the search for the fisherman who disappeared in the shipwreck.

This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, and the President of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Revilla, this Tuesday, after meeting with members of the Santander Maritime Rescue, shipowners, who are "very affected", and relatives of the victims of the "sudden", "unexpected and "inexplicable" shipwreck.

Planas has indicated that this Wednesday the Civil Guard will have a robot that will be able, at the depth at which the ship is expected to be, that is, between 120 and 130 meters, obtain images that allow us in a more concrete way "to know what the situation".

"From there, logically, it will have to be Maritime Rescue who tells us the next steps to take," said Planas, who hopes and wishes, especially for the family, that the body be found "as soon as possible."

Likewise, it has advanced that as of today the work of the Maritime Accident Investigation Commission of the Ministry of Transport will begin, which is the one that carries out all these investigations when accidents result in death at sea.

As he pointed out, the Civil Guard continues its task as judicial police as there is a judicial investigation underway after two already confirmed deaths and probably a third death, whose body has not yet been found.

The Minister of Fisheries has explained that in the event of a tragic accident resulting in death there is always a double investigation, on the one hand the judicial one and on the other the administrative one.

"This fact, I believe, has disturbed all of us particularly, not only because of the deaths, but also because of the sudden, unexpected and, in these circumstances, at the moment of today, inexplicable, but precisely for this reason there is an Investigation Commission whose work must be respected. and a judicial investigation because they have to be the ones to determine what went wrong for this shipwreck to take place," he said.

Planas has recognized that it is a "hard, very hard" moment for all the crew members, the families and friends of the deceased and the disappeared, as well as for everyone in the fishing sector and for Cantabria and Santander, where they had their residence and his work.

Thus, it has transferred the "support" and "solidarity" of the Government of Spain and has confirmed "the will to continue the tasks that are our responsibility within the scope of our competences".

As he pointed out, Maritime Rescue has carried out "a great task" from the outset, in collaboration with the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard, the Social Institute of the Navy, the autonomous community, with its own means, and the whole of the fishing sector.

"Thanks to them, thanks to all of them, we have been able not only to save the survivors, but also to recover the bodies of two of the deceased, the search for the missing person continues," he stressed.

In this way, he has underlined the will of "everyone", both the governments of Cantabria and Spain, to work together to "do something that in these circumstances is totally impossible: alleviate the grief, the pain that everyone has, not only the relatives and friends of the deceased, but all those who knew those who have perished in this tragedy".

In addition, the minister has valued the work of the more than 32,000 fishermen who are active in the country. "Behind that fish there is a very hard work, there is a job that has risks, without a doubt, higher than those of other sectors, and I think that for this reason, in addition to paying tribute to those who have died, we have to pay tribute to all those who work at sea to get food to us every day of the year", he added.

Finally, Planas has indicated that shipowners are also "very affected" by the situation. "They are two very expert people with many years of experience in the sector and, obviously, out of respect for everyone, out of respect for families, out of respect also for shipowners, I think it is good that we let the technicians work so that can find out what has happened in this accident at first sight as inexplicable as the one that has occurred", he has sentenced.

For his part, Revilla thanked the minister for his presence, who "from the first moment in the face of the tragedy has been in contact with us, concerned, and has wanted to come in these very difficult times that we are seeing."

The Cantabrian president has pointed out that they have held a meeting with Maritime Rescue to explain "what happened, at what time it happened" and "confirm that the search continues", that "it has not been suspended" on the surface and this Wednesday "the robots to locate the ship and see what possibilities there are of further operations in the event that the body of the missing person is inside".

Likewise, he has indicated that the family "is very nervous" and "it must be understood that immediate measures are requested to see the deceased." As he has transferred to them, "everything is under the control of the judges", they already opened this Tuesday, "the forensics have done their job, they can now see the relatives."

"We are not going to stop, we are going to use all possible means to try to locate the body of the disappeared person, whose relatives want to have him, as the others have him, in a very complicated situation, of anguish," he asserted.

Likewise, he pointed out that the shipowners have given "some explanation, few because they do not understand what has happened on a ship, with dead calm, stopped and without cargo." "A ship that is used to tremendous seas in the Bay of Biscay during its trajectory, is a ship that is not old, it is from the year 2000, and it was apparently in good condition. What could have happened so that suddenly in five minutes it left sinking, as I say, in absolutely favorable conditions for the stability of the boat", he added.

"People want to know why they haven't called me at seven in the morning, it's complicated. So, the relatives misunderstand all this," he said.