LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia — In a somber logistical step amid an ongoing tragedy, the body of Valencia CF coach Fernando Martín Carreras was transferred from Labuan Bajo to Bali on Monday, January 5, beginning its journey back to his native Spain. The move was necessitated by limited local facilities as the search for his two missing sons continues.
The coach’s body was transported via Batik Air from Komodo International Airport, departing at 1:40 p.m. local time. This transfer follows a similar one made for his 12-year-old daughter last Wednesday, December 31, just days after she was recovered.
The decision, explained by family liaison Budi Widjaja of the Labuan Bajo Tourism Association, was made with poignant foresight. “The [mortuary] freezer is being prepared for the two victims who have not been found,” Widjaja stated.
The limited capacity at the Komodo General Hospital’s mortuary in Labuan Bajo meant that moving the recovered family members to a facility in Bali was essential to keep space available should the two missing boys—aged 9 and 10—be found.
This careful, heartbreaking preparation underscores the dual reality of the situation in Labuan Bajo. As one chapter of the family’s ordeal moves toward a conclusion with repatriation, another remains agonizingly open.
The coach’s wife, their youngest child who survived, and other family members remain in Labuan Bajo, awaiting any news from the intensive search operation in the Padar Strait.
The transfer marks a quiet, administrative moment of transition in a saga that has been defined by public vigils, massive sea sweeps, and emotional farewells to search teams.
It is a reminder that behind the large-scale rescue efforts are these intimate, painful steps a grieving family must take, planning for the worst while clinging to hope, all within the constraints of a remote location’s infrastructure.
