Tag Archives: sinking blamed on engine failure

How did a captain survive? – The mysterious death of 21 men on a Spanish fishing boat

On 15 February, the Villa de Pitanxo, a Galician fishing boat sank off the coast of Canada in mysterious circumstances. The families of 21 men who lost their lives that night are campaigning to ensure the truth of the tragedy is revealed and that those responsible face justice. Investigators have been trying to understand what caused the accident and surviving crew members have very different versions of what went wrong. Video, >click to watch< 10:49

F/V Villa de Pitanxo: Deadly sinking of trawler blamed on main engine failure

A Spanish fishing trawler sank in stormy waters off Canada last week, leaving 21 sailors dead or missing, because its engine failed, the owner of the vessel said Monday. There were 24 people onboard the Villa de Pitanxo when it went down off the eastern coast of Canada early on Tuesday in Spain’s worst fishing tragedy in nearly 40 years. Padin has said the accident happened when the ship attempted to turn, the Nores Marin group, the company based in Spain’s northwestern region of Galicia which owns the ship, said in a statement. “The main engine suddenly stopped, leaving the boat without propulsion or direction, exposed to the wind and the waves, suffering blows from the sea that caused it to tilt and sink very quickly,” >click to read< 16:16