Four Spaniards from a Valencian family, including a Valencia CF coach and three of his children, are missing after a tourist boat sank near Padar Island in Indonesia. The mother and youngest daughter were rescued, but hopes of finding the others alive are fading. Indonesian and Spanish authorities are coordinating search efforts that could last up to four days.
On Friday, December 27, 2024, around 2:30 PM Spanish time, the tourist boat KM Putri Sakinah sank in the waters of Komodo National Park near Padar Island in eastern Indonesia. On board was the Valencian family including Fernando Martín, 44, former footballer and coach of Valencia CF's women's B team, and his five children, along with his wife Andrea Ortuño, 37, the guide, and crew.
Andrea Ortuño and her daughter Mar, 7, were rescued after being thrown into the sea from an upper part of the old wooden boat. According to the grandfather and father-in-law of the missing, Enrique Ortuño, owner of the El Coso restaurant and hotel on Las Arenas beach in Valencia, "my daughter and granddaughter were thrown off the boat [...] but my three grandchildren and son-in-law possibly got trapped inside as it broke apart and sank quickly." Ortuño, in constant contact with his daughter, admitted that "the chances of finding them alive are slim, but we must have faith" and added: "Only a miracle remains."
The accident was caused by poor weather with strong waves and a possible engine failure, according to preliminary reports from Indonesia's SAR emergency service. Rescue operations, started that night with boats and divers, continue focused on the submerged wreck. Sources from Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the consulate in Jakarta is assisting the survivors in Labuan Bajo, and searches could last three or four days.
The family, who ran hospitality businesses in Valencia and planned this as their first major trip together, left two young children in Spain. Valencia CF observed a minute of silence during training, and the club, along with the RFEF and LaLiga, expressed support. The president of the Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, offered full backing from the Comunitat Valenciana. Ortuño thanked the National Police, Civil Guard, and embassies: "They have fully committed, truly."
Such shipwrecks are common in Indonesia due to precarious infrastructure and adverse weather conditions.
