Shortly before 7 a.m. at the port of Saint-Jean, hearses awaited the remains of the missing, transported by the Playa Menduina Dos.
The bodies of two other victims of the sinking had been transported to Saint-Jean on Friday aboard the Maersk Nexus.
three survivors
Last Tuesday, the fishing boat Villa de Pitanxo sank 460 km off the east coast of Newfoundland.
The boat was carrying 24 crew members: 16 Spaniards, 5 Peruvians and 3 Ghanaians.
The bodies of 9 people have been found, but 12 are still missing.
Canadian border services officers board the Playa Menduina Dos, as it arrives at the port of St. John’s in Newfoundland on February 19, 2022.
Photo: Reuters/Greg Locke
The ship that arrived in Saint-Jean on Saturday was also carrying three survivors of the sinking.
They were rescued while floating on a raft. The 53-year-old captain and his 42-year-old nephew are among the survivors, according to the Spanish daily The Voz de Galicia.
Stephen Wallerthe acting regional supervisor at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, said the three individuals were suffering from hypothermia when they were rescued.
National mourning in Spain
According to Stephen Waller, bad weather and high waves greatly complicated the search. On Wednesday, the operations ended because there was no longer any hope of finding the living.
The Villa de Pitanxo on an unknown date, in a photo provided by the Spanish Ministry of Fisheries. The boat sank on February 15, 2022 off Newfoundland.
Photo: Associated Press / Spanish Ministry of Fisheries
The causes of the tragedy are unknown. According to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada, Spain is responsible for the investigation into the sinking of the Villa de Pitanxo.
This is the worst tragedy involving Spanish fishermen in nearly 40 years. Spain has declared a national day of mourning next Monday.
