The tragedy of sinking of a tourist boat in Indonesia It reaches four Valencian families broken by pain and with the only hope of recovering the bodies of the three people missing since Friday.
Fernando Martín and Andrea Ortuño planned … They were looking forward to the Christmas holidays with four of their six youngest children and boarded the KLM Putri Sakinah to see the famous Komodo dragons in the waters of Labuan Bajo. Both were trained a family with children from previous relationships and they had one in common, who stayed in Valencia with his grandparents.
Since the incident off the coast of Padar Island, the whereabouts of Fernando and his 9-year-old son, as well as that of another 10-year-old boy, the result of Andrea’s previous relationship, are no longer known. She saved the life of one of her 7-year-old daughters, who is waiting to be repatriated to Spain. They were survivors, along with a tour guide and four crew members, of an incident whose unknowns remained to be resolved.
The body of Lía, the youngest, 12 years old, also Andrea’s daughter, was found this Monday by the deployed operation, which had expanded the search area to the fourth day of the search, which gives hope of finding them all. “Lía was not only a great soccer player, but a person loved, committed and full of values “who always proudly carried our shield,” said the Malvarrosa Football Club of Valencia, the team in which he played.
Expressions of affection and support for the family have multiplied from other clubs and sporting entities, since Fernando – 44 years old – was also a professional player and currently worked as coach of Valencia CF Femenino B after a decade as a coach in the club’s academy. “I am very happy with this change of role, to now be a bit of the head of the more thoughtful staff and we are very excited and eager to help the girls reach the first team as quickly as possible,” Martín said in a statement sent by the club in August 2024.
Renowned hoteliers
The mother of one of the missing children, Fernando’s ex-partner, is waiting for information from Valencia. The father of three of the minors, Andrea’s former husband, resides in this Asian country. Also his brother, Álvaro Ortuño, who manages communication with the media.
The Ortuños are a well-known family in Valencia, as they own the restaurant El Coso del Mar, on Las Arenas beach. Their success in the hospitality sector led them to open establishments in the city center, La Pobla de Farnals and Burriana, under the same group, as well as a hotel – also on the beach – managed by Andrea.
The vast system, to which the storm gave a truce since Sunday, is still active. “We will not return to Spain without the four of us, all together”the families affected by the accident said in a statement, aware that there is no probability of finding them alive.
“Yesterday was an important day and today also in the research work,” said this Monday the government delegate of the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, after speaking with the family. Jakarta rescue teams are working in “the area where they believe the boat could be located.” “The only thing we can hope and wish is that they can finally find the bodies that have not yet been found,” he concluded.
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