Burgos Businessman Missing After Falling Overboard in Mediterranean
- Juan José Mutilba, a 66-year-old retired businessman from Burgos, has been missing since Tuesday after falling overboard from his boat in the Mediterranean between Sicily and
- His wife, who was on board, was unable to rescue him and reportedly could not contact emergency services for three days due to a lack of mobile coverage.
- Italian authorities have launched a search operation, with Mutilba's family urging maximum effort despite the acknowledged complexity of maritime rescues.
A retired Spanish businessman has been missing in the Mediterranean since last Tuesday after slipping from his boat and falling into the sea whilst on a fishing trip with his wife between the coast of Sicily and Greece.
Who is Juan José Mutilba?
Juan José Mutilba, 66, is a businessman from Burgos whose company supplies water containers to offices and workplaces. He retired in 2021 and has since made regular sailing trips, combining his passion for fishing with voyages through Mediterranean waters. His latest journey took him along a route between the Sicilian coast and Greece.
What happened on board
According to the account that has emerged, Mutilba slipped on the deck of his vessel and fell overboard. His wife, who was accompanying him, was unable to pull him to safety as he drifted away from the boat. Critically, she was reportedly without mobile coverage and could not alert the emergency services until three days after the accident occurred, a delay that has significantly complicated the rescue operation.
Search under way, family appeals for help
Italian authorities are now conducting a search for the missing man. The disappearance was first reported as the search operation got under way, with Mutilba's family publicly urging those involved to dedicate every available resource to finding him, whilst acknowledging the inherent complexity of maritime search operations in open waters. His precise location at the time he fell overboard, and his current whereabouts, remain unknown.
The three-day gap before emergency services were notified raises serious questions about the outcome of the search, given the conditions that a person adrift in open Mediterranean waters would face.
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