The fishing boat from Vigo 'Novo Alborada', in a file image.MINISTERIO DE PESCA (MINISTRY OF FISHERIES)
A crew member of the Galician fishing vessel
Novo Alborada
died this Wednesday in the Gran Sol fishing ground after falling into the water while fishing some 165 miles (about 305 kilometers) from the Scilly Islands, an archipelago under the authority of the United Kingdom.
The 52-year-old crew member, a Ghanaian national, was working on the stern of the trawler, owned by the shipowner José Cesáreo SL, when it fell into the sea, according to sources from the Government Sub-delegation in Pontevedra.
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Dive to the 'Villa de Pitanxo', one year after the shipwreck
The body of the sailor has been recovered from the water by a merchant, one of the ships that mobilized after the event, and the fishing boat itself, as reported by Maritime Rescue.
The trawler, with the corpse of the deceased on board, is already heading towards Vigo, the town where it has its base port and where it will arrive the day after tomorrow, Friday.
At 5:44 a.m. this Wednesday, the Fisterra Rescue Coordination Center received a satellite alert alerting 165 million people to the Southwest of the Scilly Isles, in British waters, of a “man overboard”.
Salvage alerted the authorities of that country and contacted the fishing boat to find out what had happened.
Thus, from the ship it was confirmed that a sailor had accidentally fallen into the water during a trawler maneuver.
From Salvamento, other ships that were in the area, the
Brisas Pituexinas
and the
Canto Nuevo, were mobilized.
Likewise, the British authorities alerted the merchant
Santa Viola
and began the mobilization of air resources.
Finally, the intervention of the plane was not necessary, since the crew of the merchant sighted the lifeless body of the injured sailor.
The Novo Alborada, according to the navigation records, had set sail for Gran Sol on Monday, February 13, from the port of Marín (Pontevedra).
The Government delegate in Galicia, José Miñones, has conveyed his "sorrow" for the death of this worker and explained that the Spanish authorities are "in permanent contact" with the ship's owner to provide them with "all the necessary support".
The Novo Alborada suffered another fatal accident in June 2018 in the Irish port of Castletownbere, while moving the trawling doors for inspection.
At that time, a 51-year-old sailor was seriously injured when he was struck by one of the mobile elements that are part of the stowage system on the starboard door.
Although he was immediately taken to the hospital by helicopter, the man ended up dying days later as a result of his injuries.
Tragedy hits Galician fishing again just one year after the Villa de Pitanxo
shipwrecked in the waters of Newfoundland, Canada,
with the death of 21 of its crew.
