The towing procedures of the 10-meter sailing vessel, which was spotted on Wednesday in the sea area near Potima, are underway, following the notification of the Department of Commercial Shipping, according to the Press Representative of ADE Paphos and head of TAE Paphos Michalis Nikolaou.
The Police are looking for three missing people, who were allegedly on board a sailing boat, which was spotted on Wednesday in the sea area near Potima. It is about the 30-year-old owner of the boat, a political asylum seeker, a 27-year-old man, as well as a third person, other unknown details.
Search was made, he said, for the occupants based on information in various places without locating them yet. In addition, he continued, the vessel has been searched at sea by members of the Criminal Investigation Service without finding anything suspicious so far and it is expected to be towed, probably today, to be searched internally as its cabin is flooded with water.
The tests to investigate the whole case, said Mr. Nikolaou, are continuing, with the search for the passengers, who seem not to show up at the Paphos police station, and in addition, after towing the boat is expected to be searched in an attempt, as he said, to identify something and for the Police to come to safe conclusions.
According to Mr. Nikolaou, the tests showed that the vessel is registered in the Cyprus registry to a permanent resident of Cyprus, who is absent abroad. The registered owner allegedly sold the boat to the 30-year-old, who went on January 24 with two of his compatriots to Limanaki in Latsia and picked it up, with the intention of driving it to Larnaca.
It then sailed from the Port of Lazio and, under circumstances that are being investigated, allegedly ran aground at the spot where it was found.
As Mr. Nikolaou mentioned, extensive examinations were carried out on Wednesday by a Coast Guard vessel, by a drone as well as by members of the Paphos ADE, without detecting anything.
The three people who were on board the sailing boat are considered missing as they have not been located by the Police and their fate is unknown, however, continued the Head of the Paphos TAE, all possibilities are being investigated until they are located and interrogated.
Source: KYPE