LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — On Monday, as search teams battled the notorious currents of the Padar Strait for an eleventh day, a witness with a deeply personal stake observed the operation from the water: a Spanish mariner and uncle of the missing Valencia CF coach, Fernando Martín Carreras.
Accompanied by representatives from the Spanish Embassy, he journeyed to the site where the KM Putri Sakinah sank, gaining a firsthand understanding of the formidable environment hampering the search for his two grandnephews.
The mariner’s visit provided a sobering, on-the-ground perspective for the grieving family.
According to local port authorities, he witnessed the “very strong currents, fairly high waves, and quite powerful winds” that have defined the challenge for rescue teams.
“They expressed the highest appreciation that we have worked hard,” said Stephanus Risdiyanto, Head of the Class III Labuan Bajo Port and Harbour Authority, relaying the family’s gratitude for the scale of the deployment.
For the Indonesian search coordinators, the presence of family members observing the mission underscored its significance beyond protocol.
“They saw for themselves what the joint SAR team has done in the search process that has been carried out. They see the reality… what is being endeavored by our state,” stated Fathur Rahman, Head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Office.
The operation, now in its critical final phase, continues with the sole objective of finding the coach’s two sons, aged 9 and 10. Their father and 12-year-old sister have been recovered and cremated in Bali.
The uncle’s voyage to the windswept strait served as a poignant moment of cross-cultural acknowledgment—a professional sailor from Europe confronting the raw power of the Indonesian sea that holds his family, and a family seeing the immense, tangible effort of a nation trying to bring their children home.
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