A 57-year-old man was reported missing at 3:40 PM local time (4:40 PM in Lisbon) on Thursday after diving into the Sete Cidades lagoon where he was with a group of friends.
Search efforts, which were suspended on Thursday night, resumed this morning with fire and police resources but yielded no results, according to Nuno Barbosa, commander of the Ponta Delgada Volunteer Firefighters.
Efforts restarted at 9:00 AM local time, using a drone prior to deploying motorized craft “which disturb the sludge and the lagoon bed.”
Throughout the day, diving teams participated, drones monitored the shores, rescue scooters, and a boat equipped with a sonar sought to “scan the bottom” of the lagoon to locate the victim’s body.
Nuno Barbosa told Lusa that all attempts were unsuccessful due to poor water visibility, sludge, and algae concentration in some areas, leading to a suspension of operations around 6:00 PM local time.
Searches will resume at 9:00 AM local time on Saturday, with the deployment of a submersible drone from the University of the Azores (typically used for marine scientific research), “hoping to spot something.”
“We will assess its effectiveness in inland waters. We know that in open waters, at sea, they [researchers] conduct scientific studies using that equipment,” the commander emphasized.
The operations involved 20 personnel today (including 10 divers) from the Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande, and Vila Franca do Campo fire departments and PSP members.
Fernando Infante, deputy commander of the Ponta Delgada Volunteer Firefighters, noted that the man, residing on São Miguel island, disappeared after diving from a recreational boat, commonly known as a “seagull,” where he was with friends.
Users of the recreational boats available on site “must wear a life jacket, which is mandatory,” but “it seems the gentleman removed it before diving,” he mentioned.
According to the Lagoa das Sete Cidades Watershed Management Plan, “the designated swimming area – beach, properly marked and signposted, should be the only location where swimming and bathing are allowed.”
