The search expands
The Argentine Naval Prefecture has broadened its operation to find two kayakers who went into the sea on Monday at Santa Teresita and were unable to return to the coast because of adverse weather. The force brought in the GC-26 Thompson coastguard vessel and extended its sweeps across water, air and land to locate the men, aged 64 and 43. Before entering the water, both had been warned at a Prefecture office about an active weather alert and that sailing under those conditions was not possible. The operation is being carried out with strong winds and gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour.[S1][S2]
The emergency began when one of the men called the Santa Teresita office. He reported that he was paddling a turquoise kayak off calle 29, about two nautical miles from the coast, more than three kilometres out to sea, and that he could not get back to the beach. The coastguard vessel set out from the Mar del Plata Naval Base to join the boats already sweeping the area. An aircraft was also deployed from the San Fernando Air Station, although reduced visibility, drizzle, low cloud ceilings and wind made the task harder.[S1][S2]
Land and on-foot searches cover the beaches of Santa Teresita, Mar del Tuyú and Mar de Ajó, as well as the coastal sector and the surroundings of the San Clemente stream. The Mar del Plata Maritime Traffic Management Centre asked fishing vessels in the area to report any sign linked to the men. Personnel are continuing with procedures and gathering information to guide the search, which remains active with air, surface and land resources. The Unidad Funcional de Instrucción y Juicio Nº 2 of Mar del Tuyú, in the Dolores Judicial Department, is handling the case.[S1][S2]
How the disappearance unfolded
According to sources confirmed to Infobae, it all began when the force's office in that Buenos Aires province locality received a phone call from one of the men. The national Maritime Authority responded immediately. It first sent a surface vessel to the area and then added a second boat to reinforce the sweeps. The adverse weather, however, hampered the work from the outset. At the same time, the force deployed an aircraft from the San Fernando Air Station, which made passes over the affected area with visibility reduced by drizzle, low ceilings and the same winds that had trapped the kayakers.[S1]
To widen the operation's reach, the Mar del Plata Maritime Traffic Management Centre asked fishing vessels transiting the area for help. The initiative, however, produced no positive results. Yesterday the search resumed with a B-200 aircraft from the Argentine Navy's Naval Maritime Surveillance Squadron, which flew over the area for 5 hours with negative results. The ocean patrol vessel ARA Storni also set out from the Mar del Plata Naval Base with medical personnel on board and personnel from the Tactical Divers Group with rubber boats to provide support. The search area is divided into four sub-areas, where Prefecture vessels and fishing boats are also working.[S1]
Adverse weather hampers the sweeps
The Atlantic Coast remained under an orange alert on Monday because of the intense winds from the weather phenomenon that had affected Buenos Aires province since Sunday. Monte Hermoso and Necochea suffered a strong sudestada that caused damage, among other localities facing the Argentine Sea. In this context, with the search for the people in Santa Teresita and the recent weather alert, a video circulating on social media showed two kayakers at sea during an alert warning in Mar del Plata. After the strong windstorm that hit Mar del Plata and the whole coast on Monday, a gradual improvement began yesterday, although considerable winds persist. The phenomenon produced gusts close to 100 kilometres per hour and caused various problems in the city.[S1]
