• Friday, 22 November 2024

Greek volunteer rescue team head: We won’t stop until we find Martin

Greek volunteer rescue team head: We won’t stop until we find Martin
Athens, 21 July 2022 (MIA) - The volunteer rescuers are continuing on Thursday the search and rescue operation off the coast of Greece for the third man Macedonian national, Martin Jovanovski (31), who went missing in the sea near Possidi’s Miti beach on Chalkidiki on July 9. The head of Greece’s OFKATH volunteer rescue team, Christos Ramos, told MIA’s Athens correspondent that they will not stop until they find the missing man. OFKATH volunteer rescuers have joined the search and rescues operation from day one and they have been included in the operation both on land and sea for 13 days. “Surely, the search continues today, and it will not end until we find Martin. I have said this from the very beginning and it is a promise I made to Martin's family,” Ramos told MIA. On Wednesday, OFKATH posted on their official Facebook profile a photo of black swimsuit, found near Katerini, similar to Martin's. The photo was sent to them by a citizen, who, unfortunately, did not keep the swimsuit. “Unfortunately, we failed to find the swimsuit. The man sent me the photo with the swimsuit seen among some seaweed but unfortunately, he didn’t keep it. We arrived at the spot and we searched the area, but we found nothing,” Ramos said. People from North Macedonia are also helping with a drone and rescuers in the search for the missing Martin. The search and rescue mission was launched on July 9 when the three men from North Macedonia went swimming on Possidi’s Miti beach but the strong winds and waves dragged them away from the coast. Several beachgoers noticed they went missing and notified the coast guard authorities immediately. Vasil (25) was rescued the same day after two hours in the sea, whereas Ivan (30) was found on July 10, 19 hours after he went missing. Greek coast guard authorities are conducting 72-hour search operations, however this deadline has been extended after a phone call between the foreign ministers of North Macedonia and Nikos Dendias respectively. The official search operation by the Greek coast guard ended last Thursday, and volunteer rescue teams are continuing the search and rescue mission.