Fishing vessel sank in Ogliastra: mistral winds loom over search for bodies

The weather is uncertain, with severe deterioration forecasts, as the search for the bodies of Antonio Morlè, 53, and Enrico Piras, 63 (both from Tortolì), the captain and sailor, respectively, of the fishing vessel Luigino, which sank this morning in the sea off Santa Maria Navarrese, continues . A patrol boat and a helicopter from the Port Authority patrolled the coast until sunset today. Further operations are planned for sunrise. However, a mistral wind is expected, which could complicate the operation.

The alarm was raised in the late morning, when the Arbatax operations room was alerted via the Cospas Sarsat system, designed to assist search and rescue operations by providing location data for vessels in distress. The accident occurred approximately three nautical miles east of the port of Santa Maria Navarrese. The Zeus fishing vessel, owned by the same company, was also in the area: the two vessels were at the mercy of three-meter waves in stormy seas, with winds up to 60 km/h.

The distress call was received by the Arbatax Coast Guard operations room, which, under the coordination of the Cagliari command, ordered the patrol boat CP 811 to intervene in the area. Meanwhile, the Zeus command, in contact with the operations room, reported that it had recovered a shipwrecked person in good health— Antonio Lovicario, 38, who was aboard the Luigino—and unfortunately confirmed the news of the two missing: Captain Morlè, who did not resurface after the sinking, and sailor Piras, who was found lifeless shortly after the sinking but swallowed by the waves.

The Zeus returned to port while the search for the missing began with the crew of the patrol boat CP811. Given the terrible weather conditions, the Cagliari command dispatched a Nemo 11 helicopter from the Coast Guard's fourth flight section in Decimomannu to widen the search area. But all efforts were in vain.
The Arbatax Maritime District Office has begun investigations to reconstruct the circumstances of the tragedy and the causes of the fishing vessel's sinking. The evidence gathered, including witness statements, will be incorporated into the case opened by the Lanusei Public Prosecutor's Office.

Enrico Fresu