Search continues off Thessaloniki for 69-year-old missing after fishing boat capsizes; wife rescued after hours in the water
A 69-year-old man is missing in the Thermaic Gulf after his fishing boat overturned on Tuesday morning. His 67-year-old wife swam for hours before being pulled from the water by a private vessel.
The incident
A 69-year-old man and his 67-year-old wife set out for a fishing trip around 10:00 on Tuesday morning, 14 July 2026, in the sea area off the Epanomi River, Thessaloniki. Under circumstances that remain unclear, their boat capsized. The wife survived by swimming for several hours until she was spotted and rescued by a private vessel that was sailing in the area. She told authorities she had been in the water for a long time before the private individual found her.
Search operation underway
A large-scale search and rescue operation has been running since the afternoon of 14 July, coordinated by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (EKSEA). Three vessels from the Hellenic Coast Guard, one boat from the Hellenic Rescue Team, and private boats are sweeping the sea. A Hellenic Air Force Super Puma helicopter is conducting aerial searches, with a further flight expected to take off again on 15 July. A Coast Guard vehicle is also searching from the shore. Conditions on the water include northeast winds of 4 Beaufort, according to the Coast Guard.
What remains unknown
The articles do not specify what caused the boat to overturn. The search is still active as of the early hours of 15 July, with no reports yet of the missing man being found. The wife's rescue by a private individual appears to have been the only successful recovery so far.
