Family of missing Spanish businessman urges Spain to press Italy and Greece for search

The family of Spanish businessman Juan José Mutilba, 66, has urged Spain’s Interior Ministry to intervene after he disappeared at sea between Sicily and Greece on Aug. 18, when he fell from his boat while fishing.

Mutilba, a retired entrepreneur from Burgos, was traveling with his wife, Carmen, 67, aboard their sailboat from Siracusa, Sicily, to Pilos, Greece. On the morning of Aug. 18, he caught a tuna, slipped on the fish’s blood, and fell overboard, according to his son, Sergio Mutilba. His wife, who was on the boat, “didn’t know how to react,” Sergio Mutilba said .

With no mobile signal in the area, Carmen was unable to call for help. The boat drifted for three days before she regained coverage on Aug. 21 and contacted a family friend, who alerted Spain’s Salvamento Marítimo. Spanish authorities then notified their Italian and Greek counterparts, who located the boat and towed it to Pilos with Carmen aboard .

Italy deployed a helicopter and three vessels as part of the search, but the family said Italian authorities have provided no updates. Sergio Mutilba told Efe that the Interior Ministry, initially unaware of the case, has agreed to review whether it falls under its jurisdiction and provided a Salvamento Marítimo contact .

The family fears the search may be called off before Mutilba’s body is found. “When I arrived, I looked at the sea and so many thoughts went through my head. It’s almost impossible to find him because it’s so vast, but they must not stop searching,” Sergio Mutilba said .

Mutilba’s sister and daughter were traveling from Greece to Italy on Aug. 24 to press authorities in person. His wife, who has not yet accepted his disappearance, returned to Spain on medical advice, according to Sergio Mutilba .

The family has also notified the Spanish Embassy in Rome. Mutilba retired in 2021 and had since spent much of his time sailing with his wife, Sergio Mutilba told Efe .