Search continues for a young kayaker who disappeared Friday in the Biobio Region

This past Sunday morning a fisherman discovered the empty kayak of Marcelo Leiva Molina, 19, in the cove of Monte Cristo, north of the section where he entered the sea with Region VIII. Search efforts have since focused on this rugged area, known for its rocky coastal areas and difficult access.

It was reported that the second-year law student of Universidad Catolica de la Santisima Concepcion was not wearing a life jacket.

 

Second Lieutenant of Lirquen Port Sergio Roa said authorities don’t know when Leiva entered the sea, which creates problems in determining the search area because drift distances cannot be calculated.

A patrol boat, fire department trucks, a navy vessel and relatives continue to search for Leiva. Lieutenant Roa said the general time allowed for searching for people lost at sea was six days.

Meanwhile, two university students who went missing while hiking in southern Chile were rescued by police on Sunday morning.

Telgie Alejandro, 23, and Sebastian Martin Gonzalez, 23, were climbing the slopes of the Puyehue volcano in the Los Lagos area (Region X) last Wednesday when one of the hikers suffered a knee injury. The two camped in the area and called police by cell phone.

Commissioner Patricio Yanez said police went out to recover the pair after they were able to relate the coordinates of their location using a GPS device.

SOURCES: LA TERCERA
By Laura Burgoine ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )