Italian authorities have officially ended the search for 66-year-old Spanish businessman Juan José Mutilba Obregón, who went missing in the Ionian Sea after falling overboard from his boat while traveling from Sicily to Greece.
His family was informed of the decision Thursday through the Spanish Rescue Service, which relayed the Italian authorities’ decision to terminate the search after several days of operations.
Mutilba departed Syracuse, Sicily, on Aug. 17, accompanied by his 67-year-old wife, Carmen, with Pylos in southwestern Greece as their destination.
He fell overboard while cleaning a tuna
The accident occurred the following day.
According to information that has emerged, Mutilba had caught a tuna and slipped and fell into the sea while trying to clean it.
He reportedly attempted to call for help, but his wife panicked and was unable to operate the boat in time. The vessel continued on its course, carrying her away from the location where her husband had fallen.
Wife spent three days alone on boat
Carmen remained alone on the boat for three days, without a phone signal and without being able to immediately alert authorities.
Meanwhile, a friend of the couple noticed that the boat had deviated from its planned route and raised the alarm.
When Carmen’s cellphone signal returned on Aug. 21, she was able to contact people on shore and report what had happened, triggering the international search-and-rescue protocol.
Emergency services subsequently took control of the vessel and safely guided it to Pylos.
Large-scale search operation
Italian Coast Guard aircraft took part in the search for Mutilba, with commercial vessels sailing in the wider area also assisting the operation.
The search area was determined based on the boat’s last known position, approximately 120 nautical miles southeast of Capo Spartivento.
According to the businessman’s son, Sergio, his aunt Nuria traveled to Syracuse and remained in constant contact with Italian authorities and the Spanish Consulate in Rome.
Sergio said Italian authorities had informed the family that the area would be searched up to five times a day. The family was eventually notified that the operation was being permanently terminated.
Family calls for search to continue
The missing man’s relatives say the continuation of the search in recent days was largely the result of pressure generated by the publicity surrounding the case.
They have also expressed dissatisfaction with what they describe as inadequate institutional support from the Spanish side.
“The only solution we have is to try to convince the Spanish authorities to really help us, so that the search can continue for a few more days,” Sergio said.
He also called for greater psychological support for his mother, who was the only eyewitness to the moment her husband fell into the sea.
