Body found near Krk as search continues for missing Portuguese tourist

(Photo: Lučka kapetanija Split)

13 August 2026 – A body has been found in the sea near the Croatian island of Krk during an ongoing search for Portuguese tourists who went missing after a small inflatable boat was swept out to sea during severe weather, the Ministry of the sea, transport and infrastructure confirmed today.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Rijeka (MRCC Rijeka) received a report of the discovery at 8.08am on Thursday after the body was spotted during an aerial search by a police helicopter in Orgul Bay, on Krk.

A rescue boat from the Senj Harbour Master’s Office was immediately dispatched to the location. Officers recovered the body from the sea and transported it to Novi Vinodolski, where it was handed over to police.

Further procedures, including identification, are being handled by the police.

The discovery comes as the coordinated search continues for the remaining missing person from the group.

The search resumed at first light on Thursday and is being conducted with rescue vessels from the harbour master’s offices in Senj and Rijeka, the Novi Vinodolski branch, and boats from the Rijeka Maritime and Airport Police Station.

The Croatian Coast Guard is also providing support, while police from Crikvenica and members of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) may be deployed if required.

The incident began in the early hours of Wednesday, when four Portuguese nationals went missing in the Velebit Channel after setting out from a campsite north of Senj in a small inflatable boat measuring about 1.5 metres. Strong winds and waves of up to three metres complicated the initial search. One woman was subsequently found alive, while another man was also located alive and brought ashore.

The search for the remaining missing person is continuing, with Croatian authorities maintaining a coordinated maritime and aerial operation.