Overview
- Chilean maritime officials say the small fishing launch Catalina II capsized near Las Tacas off Coquimbo while returning to port with three crew from Peru’s Piura region.
- Rescuers located the overturned boat and recovered José Carlos Chávez Urbina inside the hull after sea, land, and air searches led by the Coquimbo maritime authority and the Chilean Navy.
- Perú21 reports a second crewman, Anthony Morán Eche, was later found dead on Guanaqueros beach, while Alexander Taboada Sirlupú remains missing.
- Families traveled from Piura to identify remains, asked Peru’s Foreign Ministry to press Chile for continued patrols, and sought financial help to cover stay and repatriation costs.
- A final WhatsApp voice note from Chávez pleaded for help from nearby boats, underscoring the risks migrant artisanal fishers face on crowded, rough coastal routes.