The search for Alejandro Cabrera Iturriagathe 17-year-old Argentine teenager who disappeared after entering the sea in Chile along with cousins and brothers, continues this Thursday under an intense deployment of the Chilean Navy.
The young man was last seen on Monday, November 17 in the area of the Four Corners beachin an episode that involved the mobilization of extensive resources between local authorities and rescue teams.
“At the moment we have not had positive results. We continue with the search efforts“, official sources indicated to Infobae. It’s already the fourth day of homework.
That is why the leader of the operation, Captain Daniel Sarzosa of the maritime Navy of the region, decided that The search will now be in the entire Coquimbo Bay. This includes from Turtle Lighthouse south to Punta Teatinos north.
During this Thursday they will remain in the water until 8:00 p.m., then the work will continue only through surveillance with drones and personnel on land. “We hope to have some positive result to give peace of mind to the family”they indicated to this medium.
Javier Godoymunicipal delegate of the Sea Avenuespecified that between 35 and 40 municipal officials are present in the operation, the news agency indicated. NA. The official stressed that the figure grows if the contributions of Coquimbothe group SEW and several volunteer teams, which brings the total number of people dedicated to the task to more than a hundred.
At 12:45 p.m., a call to the maritime emergency number 137 alerted about several people at risk of immersion in the seaside resort area of Coquimboas reported by the area of the Maritime Navy of the region.
After receiving the alert, the patrol boat “Arcángel” It set sail and arrived at the site at 1:02 p.m. Staff collaborated with lifeguards to rescue three people endangered. One of them, unconscious, received immediate first aid attention until she was stabilized, according to the report from the rescue teams.
According to official sources cited by Infobaethe initial evaluation determined that a fourth person managed to get out of the sea on their own.
Beyond the actions of the authorities that were essential to rescue the Argentine minors – who are cousins and brothers – the collaboration of Francisco Boldoa bricklayer and cyclist who jumped into the water after hearing the desperate request for help from the young people’s mother.
“When I saw that desperate woman, I didn’t hesitate to take off my clothes and go in to help. I thought they were playing, but when I realized it was real I threw my bike and jumped into the water.“He said. He also added that he has known how to swim since he was a child and has participated in championships.
One of the minors who should have helped the most was 12 years old and was already floating unconscious. “I had to give him breathing right there, squeeze his chest to make him release water.. “He came back to his senses and I took him by the arm to go get his sister,” he told the Chilean newspaper. The Day.
“I spoke to them, I told them that we had to wait, that they should not despair. The waves grew and no one arrived. I rescued four. I was missing one, it got out of hand. “I was alone and I couldn’t do more,” he concluded.
Precisely, a few minutes after the rescue by the officers, at 1:12 p.m., a family member provided information that made it possible to detect that a fifth bather, Alejandro Cabrera Iturriagaremained missing.
With this information, the operation stopped being just a rescue and became a search focused on the last known location of the minor.
Captain Daniel Sarzosa, in charge of the operation, indicated in statements to the press that the municipalities of La Serena and Coquimbo, members of the regional Rescue and Rescue Corporation, artisanal fishermen, volunteer lifeguards and the Chilean Navy.
The tasks involved about fifty people between actions on land and by sea. According to the Coquimbo Maritime Navythis Tuesday they added an aerial exploration plane to the operation.
Already on the second day of work, 27 members of the Navythe general service boat Coquimboa jet ski, an inflatable boat, three trucks and an ATV.
Added to this were 20 municipal workers from The Serena22 Coquimbo and fishermen of the cove Peñuelas in charge of exploring the maritime area. The tasks integrate maritime, land and air operations with the command center located in Four Corners.
At night surveillance is carried out with ground crew and drones which with night vision allow the authorities to be kept on alert.
The first hours of the search were complicated by southerly winds and a storm surge warning, which presented additional difficulties for the deployed units. The beach where the search takes place is not suitable for bathing and has a red flag throughout the year due to its sudden changes in tides and waves.
Facundo Arayathe older brother of those affected, described the complex situation his family is facing these days. According to what he said two days after the accident, one of his brothers, from 14 yearswas still hospitalized as a result of the accident, although his condition shows signs of improvement.
“He is still hospitalized, but he is doing better. Yesterday he woke up, was able to eat something, talk a little and rest“, he explained in dialogue with BioBio Chile.
Facundo also said that both one of his sisters, 19 years old, like a cousin of the same agewere involved in the episode; Both are already at home after overcoming the first critical moment.
Regarding the lost young man, Facundo explained that he resides in The Serena for a year and that his family, of Argentine origin, has Chilean nationality thanks to his grandparents. He assured that he was “cheerful, a good companion and quite outgoing.”
The young man reported that he arrived at the scene after the events, since he was working, and has remained accompanying his mother at all times. “I went later to accompany her,” he added. “We are calmer, but without information yet,” he assured later while they wait for news.
