Rio de Janeiro: search for an Argentine tourist gone to sea and gone

RIO DE JANEIRO.- Rescue teams in Rio de Janeiro are working against the clock to find an Argentine tourist who disappeared yesterday afternoon at sea in front of the beaches of Barra de Tijuca, but his efforts are complicated by the strong storm that hits the city. since last night.

The missing person was identified as Juan Pablo Riba, a 44-year-old businessman from Chivilcoy, in the province of Buenos Aires, according to information contained in the complaint lodged by a companion of the Special Commissioner for Tourism Support ( Deat, for its acronym in Portuguese). ), located in the district of Leblon. Riba would have entered the water a few minutes before sunset and the current quickly moved away from Praia do Pepê.

Immediately alerted the rescuers, who intervened immediately but could not find him. Then the fire department of Barra de Tijuca, in western Rio, launched an operation with a helicopter and several agents, but heavy rains last night devastated the region and prevented it from finding the tourist. life is reduced every hour.

The consulate of Argentina in this city confirmed the facts to LA NACION and pointed out that the family in Argentina had already been notified.

"We are working from the beginning, all the morning and until now, we are in contact with the family, as well as with the Foreign Ministry and the authorities carioca to intensify the research," said the Consul General, Claudio Gutiérrez.

In these cases, the protocols provide that research extends over a period of up to a week in the region, but often drowned bodies appear in remote locations or are never found.