A vessel providing services to salmon-farming centers sunk during the early morning of 27 January in the Reloncaví Estuary in the south of Chile, killing five of the crew of eight and one crew member still missing as of 28 January.
Maritime search and rescue operations were activated after the sinking of the vessel Koñimo I, involving personnel from the Navy, the Chilean National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), the captaincies of Puerto Montt and Cochamó, and the Maritime Authority of Puerto Montt, the latter organization reported on its website. Aircraft from the Puerto Montt Naval Air Group aided in the search.
The operation resulted in the rescue of two crew members. The two survivors were provided first aid and medical attention as called for by maritime protocols.
With authorities closely monitoring weather and navigation conditions, the Homicide Brigade of the Investigative Police is working at the scene, carrying out inspections as ordered by the Public Prosecutor's Office. Meanwhile, the Maritime Authority said it is working in coordination with public and private organizations to maintain, control, and recover any leaked hydrocarbons, with the aim of preventing any impact on the marine and coastal environment.
Koñimo I was providing services to salmon-farming firm Salmones Austral. The company expressed its deep regret for the death of the crew members, saying that the group’s work had concluded at 6 p.m. the previous day, with the crew resting inside the vessel when the accident occurred.
Salmones Austral said that once it was alerted to the vessel’s sinking, its team immediately notified the relevant authorities and deployed its human and technical resources to collaborate in the rescue, providing technical teams on the ground, underwater ROVs, support boats, and specialized divers.
Salmones Austral’s teams will remain deployed and at the disposal of the authorities for as long as necessary to contribute to the search for the missing crew members, it said, adding that it had solicited a complete investigation from the Koñimo company to clarify what happened.
