A spectacular and harrowing rescue in Canarian waters, coordinated by air emergency services, has averted a tragedy in the Atlantic. Maritime Salvage personnel deployed a complex search and evacuation operation to assist two castaways who spent the night adrift after a mechanical failure left them stranded.
The alert was raised on Saturday afternoon when the coordination center in Las Palmas received a distress call from the crew members themselves. They explained they had set sail from Gran Canaria aboard a small inflatable boat. However, engine problems began just hours later, leaving them without propulsion or maneuverability since Friday night.
Given the extreme danger of being in the open sea on an inflatable dinghy far from land, Maritime Salvage immediately activated its air resources. The aircraft Sasemar 101 took off on an urgent mission to search the estimated maritime quadrant based on the data from the last communication.
The state aircraft's pilots conducted several visual reconnaissance passes until they finally located the inflatable boat floating about 120 miles from the island. Despite the rough seas and currents in the area, the crew confirmed the structure maintained buoyancy, although its occupants were completely unprotected against the inclement weather.
With the exact coordinates fixed by the reconnaissance plane, the Las Palmas Control Center ordered the immediate departure of the helicopter Helimer 205. This aircraft, specialized in critical offshore rescues, quickly proceeded to the incident site to extract the two affected individuals before nightfall.
The rescuers from Helimer 205 executed a clean and safe hoisting maneuver using a cable from the damaged boat. After safely bringing the two crew members aboard, who showed evident signs of fatigue and physical exhaustion due to the long hours exposed to the sea, the helicopter headed directly for Gran Canaria Airport. A healthcare assistance team was organized at the airport facilities to assess the health status of the survivors of this harsh experience off the Canarian coast.
