The Navy is continuing a search operation for a 39-year-old man who disappeared after entering the sea at Las Salinas beach in Viña del Mar, in the Valparaíso region, on the night of Tuesday, October 13.
According to BioBioChile, the man is an Ecuadorian national and reportedly entered the water with another person. Emergency teams rescued his companion. As of the early hours of Wednesday, there was no news about the missing man's whereabouts, according to T13.
Commander Jacob Silva, Valparaíso Harbor Master, explained that the alert came through the maritime emergency number, 137. "At 20:36 we received a call," he said. BioBioChile placed the incident at around 21:00, while Emol and T13 reported that the alert came after 20:00.
More than 50 people are taking part in the search. Silva said surface vessels are searching the waters off the coast, supported by marine personnel, the lifeboat service, the Municipality of Viña del Mar and other state agencies.
The sources disagree on the number of drones with infrared capabilities. BioBioChile quoted Silva as saying two drones, while Emol and T13 reported 12 drones. The maritime authority has not publicly clarified the figure.
Darkness complicated the work, but the Valparaíso Harbor Master's Office decided to keep the operation going. "We will continue carrying out the search throughout the night," Silva said.
The sources do not detail any specific safety recommendations issued by the Navy following this incident. For any emergency at sea, the Maritime Authority's number is 137, the same number that triggered this operation. The search was still underway on Wednesday, October 14.
