Hurricane-Force Bura Hinders Search for Four Missing Portuguese Nationals
A large-scale operation has been underway since early morning, with rescuers battling extremely poor weather conditions. One woman has been found alive.
A large-scale operation has been underway since early morning, with rescuers battling extremely poor weather conditions. One woman has been found alive.
Since 4 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, an extensive search has been underway for four young Portuguese nationals who went missing at sea in the Velebit Channel area. Numerous services are involved in the operation, which is being significantly hampered by extremely poor weather conditions and hurricane-force bura winds.
The drama began in the dead of night. According to Nenad Bugarin, captain of the Senj Harbor Master's Office, a larger group of Portuguese citizens was staying at a local campsite. "Part of that group left after 3 a.m. on an inflatable boat heading toward Senj. It was a small inflatable dinghy, about a meter and a half long, with oars," Bugarin said. At 4:41 a.m., one person from the group alerted authorities that the young men had not returned, triggering an immediate response.
The initial search focused on the coastal strip, but strong bura gusts quickly redirected rescuers' efforts toward the open sea and the islands. "We moved the search to the eastern part of Krk Island. At 8:10 a.m., we found the boat in Smokova Cove, but it was empty," Captain Bugarin confirmed, sharing the first concerning findings.
The operation also involves a Croatian Coast Guard aircraft, a Pilatus PC-9, deployed at the request of MRCC Rijeka. The aircraft took off at 10:40 a.m. and spotted a person in the water by 11:05 a.m. "We located that person with our vessel and took them aboard the Senj Harbor Master's Office boat," Bugarin stated. The individual was a woman who was conscious and assisted rescuers in the ongoing search. "During our communication, she told us that another person had been about 20 minutes away from her. She helped us in the search for that person, but unfortunately, it yielded no results-we did not find that second individual," he added.
Despite the find, the search for the remaining missing persons is still ongoing. "Currently, search conditions are somewhat more favorable, and we are still on the ground with two vessels. The Pilatus has gone to refuel and will continue to make periodic passes," Bugarin said. At 1 p.m., a police helicopter was also requested to join the operation, while Mountain Rescue Service personnel will search the coastal area from Cape Glavina toward Zavratnica Cove on foot.
The severity of the conditions in which the search is being conducted is evident in footage from cameras set up in Senj. Some of these cameras monitor activities in the town itself, while others capture the state of the sea. The released materials show the wind relentlessly rocking boats on the waves and bending trees on land.
