LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — A poignant community vigil held two nights ago on the Labuan Bajo waterfront preceded the tragic discovery that arrived on Sunday. Video from Friday, January 2, shows the wife of Fernando Martín Carreras standing shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of local residents, her face illuminated by candlelight and etched with desperate hope as prayers were offered for the safe return of her missing husband and two sons.
That collective plea for a miracle was met with a somber answer. On the morning of Sunday, January 4, search teams recovered the body of the Valencia CF women’s B-team coach from the waters near Rinca Island, as officially confirmed by local police. The discovery on the tenth day of the operation brought a devastating end to one search while another continues agonizingly for his children.
The emotional sequence—from a community’s united prayer to the sea’s grim restitution—highlights a profound human narrative within the larger maritime tragedy. The vigil symbolized a shared burden of hope; the recovery, while heartbreaking, provides a painful closure that the family had begged for, pleading not to be left in perpetual uncertainty.
As the operational focus now narrows entirely to finding the two missing boys, the community that gathered in light now must support a family in the darkest of times.
The entire team at Hey Bali News extends our deepest condolences. We hold the coach’s wife in our thoughts, praying for her immense strength and health as she endures this continuing ordeal. May the support of Labuan Bajo and the memories of love provide a foundation for resilience in the days ahead.
