Shipwreck discovered off Newfoundland coast believed to be missing Galician vessel ‘Villa de Pitanxo’

A shipwreck located off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada is believed to be that of the Galician vessel ‘Villa de Pitanxo’.

This news was relayed today by the underwater robot that had been submerged into the Atlantic Ocean yesterday, Saturday 4, from the ship ‘Ártabro’, which has been leading the search operation since departing Vigo last May 17.

The Galician fishing boat sank on February 22, 2022, with the loss of 21 out of its 24-man crew. Only three of the crew members survived: the skipper, his nephew, and a sailor of Ghanaian origin.

In the days following the tragic incident, nine bodies were recovered from the water but another 12 crew members are still missing.

Hopes had already risen last Friday 2 after a metallic structure was detected in an area close to the Pitanxo’s last known location.

María José de Pazo, a spokesperson for the relatives of the victims told EFE: “It is a very serious issue that touches us in the depths of our being. The Pitanxo is not just a ship within a piece of evidence in a judicial process, it is the place where 21 loved ones died and the tomb of the 12 who have disappeared”.

As long as security conditions are respected, the submersible robot was reported to be lined up to travel down to greater depths in an attempt to record footage ‘as close as possible’ to the shipwreck, as reported by larazon.es this Sunday, June 4.

According to de Pazo, despite official confirmation from the authorities, all the indications point to the fact that the metal structure corresponds to the Pitanxo.

He added that the finding is: “very positive news for all the families and for all the people who were waiting”. Knowing this information does not in any way affect the development of the investigation opened by the National Court he insisted.