Body of Missing Portuguese Man Found, Search Continues
Rescued Portuguese woman released to home care from Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center, while intensive search in the Velebit Channel continues at full pace.
Rescued Portuguese woman released to home care from Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center, while intensive search in the Velebit Channel continues at full pace.
On Thursday morning, August 13, 2026, the lifeless body of a young man, one of four Portuguese nationals who went missing during a storm in the Velebit Channel, was found in the sea off the eastern coast of the island of Krk. The body was spotted from a police helicopter shortly after 8 a.m. and was recovered from the sea by personnel from the Senj Harbor Master's Office.
According to Senj Harbor Master Nenad Bugarin, the search resumed immediately after sunrise in the area off the eastern coast of Krk. "After sunrise, we continued the search on the eastern coast of the island of Krk. Shortly after 8 a.m., a body was spotted in the sea," Bugarin told Dnevno.hr. The body was transported to Novi Vinodolski after recovery, where an autopsy and identification are expected.
The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure confirmed that a report of the lifeless body in the sea at Orgul Cove on the island of Krk was received by MRCC Rijeka at 8:08 a.m., via the Operational-Communications Center of the Ministry of the Interior of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Novi list mentions Zavratnica Cove in its headline, while the Ministry of the Sea's report cites Orgul Cove, so sources differ on the exact location.
The search involves two vessels from the Senj Harbor Master's Office and the Novi Vinodolski Harbor Master's Office substation, a police vessel and helicopter from the Ministry of the Interior, and the area has been expanded to Vrbnik and Cape Druženin. "After that, the search resumed, with two police vessels and two aircraft involved. In the afternoon, a Coast Guard Pilatus aircraft will join us again," Bugarin told HRT.
Lieutenant Domagoj Ištvanović from the 392nd Squadron of the Croatian Air Force described the circumstances of the Portuguese woman's rescue to HRT. "The challenge was that we were searching at very low altitudes and low speeds. That made spotting difficult. How did we spot her? There was a SUP board that was there. Shortly after, we spotted the victim who was intensely splashing the water surface. She managed to attract our attention; we held our position, entered a turn, and continued circling above her for 45 minutes until a Harbor Master's Office boat appeared and pulled her out," Ištvanović recounted.
The woman was found on Wednesday, August 12, at around 11:44 a.m., about 0.4 nautical miles from Butinj Cove, and the young man at 1:40 p.m. on the rocks between Ogrul Cove and Cape Glavina. Both were exhausted but were rescued and given medical care.
Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center confirmed that the rescued Portuguese woman has been released to home care. "The patient of Portuguese nationality was admitted yesterday to the Department of Pulmonology at Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center due to prolonged floating and near-drowning syndrome. After observation and medical assistance, she is being discharged today to home care," the hospital stated.
The search for the last missing person continues at full intensity. The operation involves vessels from the Senj Harbor Master's Office, the Novi Vinodolski substation, police vessels and aircraft, and, if needed, officers from the Crikvenica Police Station and members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS). "All services and all available resources are involved in the search operation," Bugarin said.
