The alert was given this Sunday. The catamaran “Stella†was found, as well as a life raft, both empty.
Two French people are missing after their catamaran encountered «difficultés» off the coast of Tangier, in northern Morocco, the National Maritime Coordination and Rescue Center and the father of one of the passengers announced to AFP on Monday.
Sunday, around 2:15 a.m. (01:15 a.m. GMT), “we received an alert that the catamaran “Stella†was experiencing difficulties.â€indicated the Moroccan center, adding that they had found the boat as well as a life raft, both empty, three nautical miles, or approximately five kilometers from the coast of Tangier.
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The catamaran, which “still floated”was towed to the port of Asilah, about forty kilometers south of Tangier, and the search is now focusing on an annex boat equipped with an outboard motor which the crew also had. The causes of the incident remain unknown at this stage, according to the center. A source close to the case told AFP that the two people missing were of French nationality.
According to Adrien Danzé, the father of one of the two Frenchmen, a message reporting a leak was sent at 01:15 GMT then a second at 02:00 GMT saying that the crew was leaving the boat for the tender.
In November 2012, the catamaran «Love-Love» had been shipwreck off the coast of Saïdia, on the northeast coast of Morocco, after being caught in a storm, causing the death of four French people and the disappearance of a fifth, aged between 60 and 73.
