A large-scale search and rescue operation in the Velebit Channel has yielded its first results. A Coast Guard aircraft spotted a person in the sea, and staff from the Senj Harbour Master's Office pulled a living Portuguese citizen from the water.
The dramatic search for four young Portuguese citizens, who went missing in the Velebit Channel on Monday night into Tuesday, has entered a new phase. A Coast Guard aircraft, which has been flying over the area since early morning, spotted a person in the sea at a distance of approximately half a mile to a mile from the coast of the island of Krk. Confirmation soon followed: one Portuguese woman has been found alive.
As confirmed to Novi list by Senj Harbor Master Nenad Bugarin, the survivor was located in Butinj Cove on the island of Krk and pulled from the sea by staff from the Senj Harbor Master's Office. Bugarin added that the found person is in good health and, by all accounts, will not require medical assistance. Nevertheless, after being pulled from the water, the woman was taken care of and transported to the port of Novi Vinodolski, where she was handed over to emergency medical personnel. The search for the remaining three missing individuals continues with undiminished intensity.
Unofficial information about what was spotted from the air was initially contradictory. While some sources spoke of a "person," others mentioned a "body," and official information about the status of the spotted person was not available at that time. The discovery of the living Portuguese woman resolved some of the uncertainty, but the dramatic search for her friends continues.
Captain Bugarin also revealed new details about the rescue. He noted that the found Portuguese citizen was communicative and assisted in the search. "She helped us with information. She told us that another person was near her just 20 minutes before, but unfortunately we could not find that person yet," Bugarin stated. He added that a larger group of Portuguese tourists is at the camp and confirmed that all missing individuals are in their thirties. According to him, they are three men and one woman.
Behind the entire case lies a series of reckless decisions that led to a dangerous situation. According to unofficial information from Jutarnji list, the four young Portuguese set out to sea between three and four in the morning from Camp Kozica, located nine kilometers north of Senj. They undertook the fateful trip at a time when a strong bura wind was sweeping the area, with gusts reaching between 60 and 70 knots, or wind gusts exceeding 110, and in places around 130 kilometers per hour.
For their voyage, they used a small inflatable boat without a motor, a type of vessel intended solely for recreation near the beach, and certainly not for venturing into open sea. Captain Bugarin himself described the vessel: "That's not even a rubber boat; it's a one-and-a-half-meter inflatable with oars." Unofficially, this reckless decision was preceded by an evening marked by heavy alcohol consumption. After hours of not returning or making contact, their disappearance was reported at 4:41 AM by a mutual friend, triggering an urgent and massive rescue operation.
The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement regarding the disappearance of its citizens, expressing great concern. They announced that they are in close contact with Croatian authorities and that the boat they were using has since been found. Their initial post on social media platform X, in which they stated that a body had been found, was quickly removed, and Harbor Master Bugarin denied that information. The new statement from the Portuguese Ministry no longer mentions the discovery of a body.
The search and rescue operation is coordinated by the National Center for Search and Rescue at Sea in Rijeka (MRCC Rijeka). Due to extremely poor weather conditions, all available forces have been deployed. At sea, two vessels from the Harbor Master's Office and maritime police are battling strong waves, while air support is provided by a Coast Guard aircraft, specifically a Pilatus PC-9.
Meanwhile, on land, members of the HGSS (Croatian Mountain Rescue Service) are on foot searching the highly inaccessible and rocky coast of the island of Krk, which lies directly opposite Senj. All rescue services are making superhuman efforts in conditions that also endanger their own safety, and the outcome of the search for the remaining missing persons is expected in the coming hours. Waves on the eastern side of Krk reached between 2.5 and three meters, and the bura created sea spray that further reduced visibility. "How much can you spot in such conditions... it's very difficult. Sea spray forms, conditions are reduced. The bura has weakened somewhat, so visibility is better," Bugarin described.
Bugarin also outlined the chronology of today's operation. "The operation began along the coast, but since we didn't achieve results there, we moved the search to the eastern part of the island of Krk, from Mala Luka Cove towards Cape Glavina, where we were joined by the SAR 15 vessel and the SAR 10 vessel from the Novi Vinodolski harbor office," he said. Already at 8:10 AM, a boat matching the description of the sought vessel was found in Smokova Cove, but without any people on board. After the Pilatus aircraft was deployed, at 11:05 AM a person was spotted in the sea, and shortly thereafter rescued. Due to extremely unfavorable sea conditions, with hurricane-force bura gusts reaching around 60 knots and waves over two meters high, some units were temporarily withdrawn to the lee side. Nevertheless, Bugarin notes that weather conditions improved somewhat during the day as the bura began to weaken around noon. A police helicopter was also requested and involved in the search, and HGSS members continue to search the coastline.
