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 The Costa Rican coast guard requested the support of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Panama Naval Air Service to try to find the crew. - Costa Rica Coast Guard photo - |
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Published on Friday, August 20,
2021
U.S. Coast Guards and Panama Naval Air Service helped the rescue operation of three Costa Rican crew members whose fishing boat was drifting after their boat caught fire while crossing the Pacific Ocean. According to the Ministry of Security, the case began on Tuesday night, when the Costa Rican coast guard received an emergency call about a fisherman crew who was in the ocean after having a mechanical failure in their boat identified as BaulaXP-10238. The incident occurred when one of the batteries exploded causing the ship to catch fire as it was crossing the ocean at a distance of 243 kilometers south of the Dulce Gulf in Puntarenas Province. "The crew jumped from the burning boat into the water and managed to hold onto a buoy to save their lives, but they managed to make the emergency call from a satellite phone that they carried," the ministry said in its report. The Costa Rica Coast Guard requested the support of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Panama Naval Air Service to try to find the crew. This action is allowed by the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, which all three countries have agreed to uphold.  As part of the agreement, they collaborated to locate a merchant ship named AVRA.GR which was 67 kilometers from the place where the crew was reported. It wasn’t until Wednesday morning that the rescuers managed to find the three Costa Ricans who survived after a night floating in the ocean. The men were identified with the surnames Carrillo, 40, Serrano, 49 and Salas, 44. All of them are fishermen from the Chacarita area in Puntarenas. The survivors of the shipwreck were taken to the meeting point 130 kilometers from the Dulce Gulf. A short video of the rescue operation was released by officers and can be seen on the A.M. Costa Rica YouTube channel. The men were taken to the Coast Guard station in Golfito Port where they received medical attention. All three men are in good health.  Rescue operations are a common part of the job description. The cases of rescues of sailors and tourists are well-known by Coast Guard officers. Recently, during a routine patrol, they rescued a U.S. citizen woman who suffered a water accident.  In April the officers rescued an Austrian tourist who had a sailing accident. ------------- What have you heard about expats having water accidents in Costa Rica? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com             
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