Search Continues for Spanish Businessman Missing at Sea
A search and rescue operation is underway for a 66-year-old Spanish businessman who went missing after falling overboard from his sailboat during a voyage from Sicily to Greece. The man, identified as Juan José Mutilba Obregón, was reported missing since Tuesday, 18 August, according to Greek and Spanish reports.
His wife, 67-year-old Carmen, was found safe and in good health after spending about three days alone and adrift aboard the yacht, unable to call for help due to lack of mobile signal. The couple had set sail from Syracuse, Sicily, bound for Pylos, Greece, on Monday.
The Incident and the Wife's Ordeal
According to information released by the family, on Tuesday morning, the man had been fishing and caught a tuna. While cleaning the fish, he reportedly slipped on its blood and fell into the sea. His wife heard him shouting, "Menchu, Menchu, cut the engine," but, as their son Sergio recounted, she was unable to react in time. Although she held a certificate to operate a recreational boat, obtained years earlier, she was not capable of handling such a challenging task on her own, and the boat kept drifting away while her husband was left behind in the water.
Sergio, who spoke to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, said his parents had taken early retirement and were spending much of their time traveling. "For the past few months they had left everyday life behind and were traveling the world. They were constantly in Italy, France, Greece," he said. He added that his mother "froze" when she heard the shout, and the boat "kept drifting further away."
Over the following three days, Carmen tried repeatedly to reach emergency services but had no signal. On Friday, she finally regained signal and contacted a friend experienced in sailing, who alerted Spain's Maritime Rescue Service (Salvamento Marítimo), which then relayed the alert to Italian and Greek authorities.
Rescue Operation and Current Status
Once the Greek authorities were informed, a search and rescue operation was launched. According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, the French-flagged sailing yacht was located about 18 nautical miles off Pylos, drifting out of control. Two coast guard patrol boats, a land patrol vehicle, and the fishing boat "Ioanna-Marina" were dispatched to help.
The yacht was escorted to the marina in Pylos, and Carmen was found safe and in good health. Meanwhile, Sergio traveled to Pylos with his family and is awaiting news of his father. The family is calling for the search to continue without interruption and for greater involvement from the Spanish authorities, as reported by Proto Thema.
Background of the Missing Man
Juan José Mutilba Obregón worked in IT and for years headed the company D'ors Informática before moving into the water distribution sector through Mutobre S.L., according to Proto Thema.