LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — The search for a Spanish football coach and his two sons entered its ninth day on Saturday with one of its largest and most coordinated deployments yet. The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) mobilized a force of 152 personnel across 17 vessels, organized into seven distinct Search and Rescue Units (SRUs), to comb a vast expanse of ocean and coastline in Komodo National Park.
The operation, targeting Valencia CF women’s B-team coach Fernando Martin Carreras and his children, represents a sustained and systematic effort to solve a maritime mystery that has gripped the international community. The trio, along with a daughter who was recovered deceased last week, were aboard the pinisi boat KM Putri Sakinah when it sank in the Padar Strait on December 26.
“The search continues with sweeps of the nearest islands, diving, and the deployment of sonar,” said Fathur Rahman, Head of the Maumere Basarnas office and the mission coordinator.
Each SRU was assigned a specific zone and search method, creating a multi-layered net across the search area. The lead vessel, KN Puntadewa, covered a broad 15.4-nautical-mile sector on the surface. Other units utilized speedboats from the port authority and navy to sweep additional zones of 12.6 and 11 nautical miles respectively.
Crucially, the operation continued to integrate advanced technology, with two separate SRUs dedicated to operating different types of side-scan sonar equipment (referred to as Hidronav and Disnav) to meticulously map sections of the seabed.
Despite the scale and technological firepower of Saturday’s push, which saw units covering a combined search area of over 60 nautical miles, the afternoon concluded without a breakthrough. “As of this afternoon, the search for the victims has not yielded results,” a Basarnas statement confirmed.
The search now balances the immense logistical effort with the harsh realities of time and the powerful, complex currents of the Flores Sea. The formation of seven specialized units underscores the authorities’ commitment to leaving no potential area unexamined, even as hope for a rescue has long since transitioned to a grim determination for recovery and closure for the grieving family, who remain in Labuan Bajo.
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