(Last hour) Ourique: Today suspended underwater searches of the missing British in the dam of Santa Clara.
Nine days and over 1.100 hours, were today suspended underwater searches to find Richard Chapelow, British citizen and 29 year old, disappeared in the waters of the dam of Santa Clara, municipality of Ourique, from last day 20 August.
The decision was taken by the operational commander on the scene after the long and exhausting search that never allowed even find clues that could lead to find and bring the body afloat. Last Sunday, GNR and firefighters made the reconstruction of the accident, but, or that resulted.
Throughout the operation, They were employed daily over 50 operating on land, in boats and diving, two dozen terrestrial means and six vessels, an operation comparable only to the tragedy of Entre-os-Rios, with Hintze Ribeiro bridge fall, in 4 March 2001.
The alert for the disappearance of Richard Chapelow (na photos), It was given to 16,54 hours, of 20 August, when 10 people, all of British nationality, They sailed in the dam water. Six followed in a boat that was pulling a buoy, type banana, where other four followed encavalitados in inflatable.
For reasons still unknown, the float turned and the four people fell to the water. Three swam to the boat, while the fourth element was never sighted and the body still by locating.
Richard Chapelow, He was a friend of the four children of the English billionaire, Jon Hunt, of 65 year old, owner of a fortune estimated at more than 1,2 billion and owner of the Apricot Hill, located in Santana da Serra parish, municipality of Ourique, where the accident occurred.
Has learned the Lidador News (LN), although the case is being treated as a disappearance, a GNR, that was always on site to monitor operations, will make a report to the prosecutor of Ourique, the case may come to have another treatment.
On the day of the disappearance of British, It has issued a statement on behalf of Jont HNT and his family, where they were demonstrating "devastated by the loss of Richard", arguing that all "thoughts and prayers are with his family", ensuring I would "work closely with the authorities to understand what happened", shooting that lived a moment of great sadness.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
