Simon Hunter
THE SEARCH for two Argentine paddle surfers who disappeared off the coast of the Costa del Sol on August 27 has been called off. Two weeks after Maxi Ludvik, 29, and Emmanuel Soria, 34, went missing, there has still been no sign of the pair.
The youngsters set off from the Misercordia beach in Huelin, Malaga province, before all trace of them was lost. The alert was raised the same day when Ludvik failed to turn up for his job at an ice cream parlour.
Since then, according to Diario Sur, a joint search has been ongoing by Maritime Rescue, the Civil Guard and the Red Cross in the Alboran Sea.
So far only the paddle board that the two were using has been discovered, and the hypothesis of rescue teams is that high winds and strong currents that day saw them get into difficulty.
Sources from Maritime Rescue told Diario Sur that the active search will now end, but that nearby vessels will be constantly advised that the pair went missing in the area, so that crews can be alert for any sightings.
The news has been received with despair by the families of Ludvik and Soria.
“They should put themselves in our shoes and understand that it is very difficult to give up when we have no proof as to whether they are dead or alive,” Ignacio Soria, Emannuel’s brother and good friend of Ludvik, told Diario Sur.
“We still believe in a miracle,” he added.
On Saturday a body in an advanced state of decomposition was found floating at sea south of Motril. The cadaver was taken to Algeciras for an autopsy and tests will be carried out on it to determine whether it could be either Ludvik or Soria.
Read more:
- Two bodies found near Costa del Sol town confirmed not to be missing Argentinians
- Paddle surf board located floating off coast of Malaga, as search for missing Argentines continues
- Video shows moment two paddle boarders headed out to sea
