Two French nationals are missing after their catamaran encountered difficulties off the coast of Tangier, AFP reported.
The National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center and the father of one of the passengers confirmed to AFP.
“We received an alert reporting that the catamaran Stella was in difficulty,” the Moroccan center said. The center received the alert around 2:15 a.m.
The vessel and a liferaft were later found, both empty, three nautical miles or around five kilometers off the coast of Tangier, AFP reported.
The same source stressed that the catamaran was still afloat. It was later towed to the port of Asilah, 40 kilometers south of Tangier.
Search efforts continue to find the two missing passengers, with the cause of the incident remaining unknown at this stage, the center added.
The father of one of the missing people said that a first distress message reporting water ingress was sent at 5:15 a.m. It was later followed by a second message at 4 a.m., stating that the crew was abandoning the vessel for the dinghy.
AFP recalled an incident in which a catamaran sank off the coast of Saidia in north-eastern Morocco due to a storm. The incident killed four French nationals.
