Ricardo and Francisco Neves, father and son, aged 45 and 11 [age has since been revised], and brothers Gabriel and José Caeiro, aged 30 [age also corrected] and 21, paid 50 euros each to board the sunday trip that claimed the lives of at least two of them, with the other two still missing.

They were on the boat with helmsman Manuel Coelho, the owner of the fishing vessel, a 62-year-old man. He was rescued alive from the sea by another boat that passed by the area, and the bodies of Francisco and Gabriel were also located and recovered on sunday.

According to the Setubalense, the group of friends were going to catch cuttlefish aboard the recreational fishing vessel ‘Lingrinhas’, in the area of the sandbank and, when they were returning to land, they were surprised by a freak wave. Despite the manoeuvres performed, the vessel capsized and ended up sinking.

The only survivor so far, the helmsman, still saw them and called out to them, but the four disappeared. The newspaper reports that Manuel Coelho told the Maritime Police that a wave threw everyone off the vessel, and that he still saw the other four occupants in the sea. He called out to them, but none managed to reach him, as he had grabbed onto a lifebuoy.

The child was reportedly the only one wearing a life jacket.

According to the same source, the four lived in Grândola. Ricardo with his wife and son Francisco in the Isaías neighbourhood, Gabriel in the village of Cadoços with his wife and daughter, and José in Canal Caveira with his parents and brother.

Brothers Gabriel and José were reportedly taking part in the fishing plan for the first time, at Ricardo's invitation. It was Ricardo's second time fishing for cuttlefish and his son Francisco had insisted on joining him.

The tragedy occurred at around 7 am on sunday morning, but it was only three hours after the shipwreck, at around 10 am, that the alert was given by a passing vessel.

The two bodies found on sunday were those of young Francisco, aged 11, and Gabriel Caeiro, aged 30. José Caeiro, his brother, is still missing, as is Francisco's father.

Ricardo Neves, 45, a hunting enthusiast in Grândola, only recently developed a taste for sports fishing, the local newspaper emphasises. Gabriel worked on a farm in Canal Caveira as a farmer and that is where his brother, José, aged 21, lived with his parents. There is another brother who was also supposed to go on the sunday outing, but who changed his mind.

On Facebook, the Clube Recreativo Grandolense mourned the death of Francisco Neves, an athlete in the club's youth football teams.

“A loss of this nature leaves an irreparable void in our hearts and in the history of our club. May the memories of Francisco bring some comfort to those who remain. Rest in peace, dear Francisco,” it reads.

Search resumed and extended

The search for the two missing persons - Ricardo and José - resumed at 7:30 am this Wednesday and was extended "to eight nautical miles", according to the spokesperson for the Portuguese Maritime Authority.

According to Commander José Sousa Luís, the search began at 7:30 am, with the area being extended to eight nautical miles (about 14 kilometres) to the west and south.

The search operations at sea involve the Portuguese Navy ship NRP Sines, a lifeboat from the Institute for Shipwreck Relief (Sines Lifeboat Station and Sesimbra Lifeboat Station Maritime Police).

On land, a Maritime Police coastal surveillance vehicle with a 'drone' and another 'drone' from the Navy and a Maritime Police 4x4 are involved.

Read Also: Search resumed to find missing persons from shipwreck near Tróia (Portuguese version)