BRIEFS: Maritime

Man missing after boat capsizes near causeway

Rescue crews continue their search for Eliécer Samudio, the young man who went missing Wednesday after the boat he was working on capsized near the Isla Flamenco at the mouth of the Panama Canal, on the Pacific side.

A spokesperson for the Servicio Marítimo Nacional (SMN) reported that divers explored the waters off of the island throughout the day yesterday, focusing their search between buoys 9 and 12. Rescuers from the Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil participated in the search.

SMN officials confirmed that Samudio and three other men were on their way to the Sea Cargos dock when the boat sank. They had been delivering food to ships waiting to pass through the Canal.

Preliminary accident reports indicate that choppy conditions in the Bahía de Panamá had contributed to the wreck.

The vessel’s three other occupants, identified as José Luis Batista, Raúl Macfarlane and Olmedo Icaza, were rescued by the crew of the María Chiquita.