LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — As the sun rose over Marina Labuan Bajo on Friday, a somber vigil marked the eighth day of the search and rescue operation for a Spanish football coach and his three children, missing after a boat tragedy in Komodo National Park.
The wife of the Valencia CF women’s B-team coach, accompanied by other family members from Spain, stood quietly at the port. They had come to offer moral support to the joint SAR team departing for another day of searching the waters around Padar Island. In a poignant moment of respect and solidarity, she was seen bowing deeply toward the rescue vessels as they slowly navigated away from the dock at 7:25 a.m. local time. The family remained until the Basarnas (National Search and Rescue Agency) ship was out of sight before departing the harbor.
The extensive operation, which has gripped the local and international community, has been extended for an additional three days. The decision follows formal requests from the Spanish Embassy and the Labuan Bajo Port and Harbor Authority (KSOP).
“At the request of the embassy, KSOP, and considering the equipment being deployed, the operation is extended for the next three days,” stated Fathur Rahman, Head of the Maumere SAR Office. He detailed that the focus would now shift to utilizing side-scan sonar technology to map the seabed, with technical support from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) to analyze underwater currents. Should the sonar detect any potential targets, dive teams will be immediately deployed to investigate. Surface sweeps around Padar Island will also continue.
The tragedy unfolded on the evening of December 26, 2025, when the KM Putri Sakinah suffered engine failure and sank while transiting from Komodo Island to Padar Island around 8:30 p.m. Of the eleven people on board, seven were successfully evacuated to Labuan Bajo. The four still missing are the Valencia coach and his three children.
The search has already yielded one tragic result. In a written statement received on Tuesday, December 30, the family confirmed with a “heavy heart” the death of one of the three missing children. They have requested prayers and asked for the family’s privacy to be respected during this “time of indescribable grief,” also appealing for their identities to remain confidential.
Expressing profound gratitude for the outpouring of support from both Spain and Indonesia, the family’s statement struck a resolute note: “We are grateful for all the support we have received, both in Spain and Indonesia, and we believe the search will continue. We will not return to Spain without all four of them, together.”
The ongoing search in the famed yet formidable waters of the Komodo archipelago underscores the relentless efforts of Indonesian authorities and the unwavering hope of a family clinging to the promise of a homecoming, however heartbreaking.