Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 18 Mar. (Europa Press) –
Approximately twenty volunteers coordinated a search operation last Sunday for the Polish minor who has been missing for 25 days after vanishing in a rocky area along the coast of the Tenerife municipality of La Guancha.
As outlined in a statement by ‘Canary Islands 1500 km. De Costa’, the event took place on the shores of Silos, given the adverse sea conditions at Charco del Viento, where the young Arek went missing.
The platform participated in this initiative following a heartfelt appeal from Kasia, the child’s mother, who urgently requested rescuers to continue their search: “Please don’t stop looking for him. We need to bring him back home.”
The entire operation was organised at the small coastal port and included two divers, three free divers, a lifeguard, support from a jet ski, a team of drone operators, and ground assistance.
Under the guidance of free diver Miguel Ángel Pérez, divers conducted extensive searches for three hours, examining caves, crevices, and lava tubes in what has been described as a tumultuous seabed, riddled with numerous caves and challenging terrain, but regrettably without success.
“The prevailing silence and uncertainty created an atmosphere of collective sadness and disappointment,” the platform remarked.
Among the various resources employed in the quest to locate the young man’s body, the ‘Arek Finder’ stands out, a device specifically created by Alberto Betancor, a firefighter of the Tenerife consortium.
Essentially, it is a GPS locator incorporated into a handcrafted device that simulates a human body, designed to replicate the child’s physical parameters (weight, height, volume, and buoyancy).
The ‘Arek Finder’ was deployed into the sea four days prior to the recent operation, taking advantage of the similar maritime conditions in Charco del Viento that contributed to the adolescent’s disappearance.
This innovation enables continuous tracking of the drift and path taken by this kind of ‘mini mannequin’, constructed from recycled and recyclable materials, with reference points marking areas for further exploration.
The human contingent for this mission consisted of personnel from State Security Forces, Local Police officers, firefighters, teachers, and members of the Drone Pilots Association, along with Polish nationals residing in Tenerife, many of whom are diving instructors and boat captains, who readily volunteered their time for the mission to recover Arek’s body.
A wave pulled them in
Arek’s disappearance occurred at 11.30 am on Saturday, February 22, while he was gathering crabs and snails alongside his 7-year-old sister. At that moment, a large wave surged ashore, pulling them into the sea from the natural pool at Charco del Viento.
The girl’s father plunged into the water to rescue them but could only grasp his daughter’s arm, while Arek was caught by the waves in this rough coastal area teeming with rocks.
The family, who had arrived on the island for a holiday, were unaware that a pre-alert for coastal phenomena had been issued that day across the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, warning of waves reaching heights of up to 4 metres.
From the outset, a substantial mobilisation of technical, material, and human resources was coordinated by the General Emergency Directorate of the Canary Islands Government, involving GES, SUC, the Civil Guard, Maritime Rescue, Local Police, the Firefighters Consortium, Civil Protection, among others.
For a week, vast marine areas and numerous kilometres of coastline were extensively searched, but regrettably with no positive outcome.
Simultaneously, regional authorities provided psychological support to the family, led by psychologists Teresa Martínez and Karolina Walczyk, with assistance from translator Pedro de Gracia.
During this difficult time, Kasia shared that “constantly” she envisions her “precious Arek, alone in the cold water,” while the rest of the family remain “together in a warm home.”
Awaiting the cancellation of the pre-alert regarding coastal phenomena along this stretch of Tenerife’s coast, preparations are already underway for a new operation to reach this challenging marine area in search of Arek, in which the platform is also participating.
