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Two French Sailors Missing After Catamaran Found Abandoned Off Tangier

Rescue teams are concentrating on an auxiliary dinghy after the catamaran was located empty and towed to Asilah.

Overview

  • Moroccan rescue authorities received an alert in the early hours of Sunday reporting water ingress on the catamaran Stella and a later message saying the crew were leaving for a dinghy.
  • Searchers found the catamaran and an empty life‑raft about three nautical miles off Tangier and towed the still‑floating vessel to the port of Asilah.
  • Officials and sources told AFP that two people of French nationality are reported missing and have not been located since the vessel was abandoned.
  • Search operations now focus on an auxiliary dinghy with an outboard motor and deploy aircraft, helicopters and maritime units to comb sea and shore areas.
  • The cause of the incident remains unknown, no distress beacon has been reported, and investigators continue search-and-rescue work while probing what led to the emergency.