Fernando Martin, a coach with Valencia CF, has died along with three of his children after their boat capsized in Indonesia, the Spanish football club has confirmed. The 44-year-old former player, who was in charge of Valencia's women's reserve team, was on a family trip when the accident occurred on Friday evening.
The tour boat was carrying 11 people, including Martin's family of six, four crew members and a local guide, when it suffered engine failure and sank near Padar Island in Komodo National Park. Three people were rescued by a passing vessel, and four others were picked up by a search and rescue team. The survivors included Martin's wife and one daughter, while Martin and his two sons and another daughter were initially reported missing.
On Saturday, Indonesian rescuers searched for the missing family members, but Valencia CF later announced that Martin and his three children had been confirmed dead by local authorities. The club expressed condolences in a statement on X, while Real Madrid CF also paid tribute to Martin, who had previously played in Spain's second tier.
The search operation continued on Sunday, with multiple rescue units, a navy vessel and local fishermen scouring a 5-nautical-mile radius of the sinking site. Strong waves up to 2.5 metres high and darkness had hampered efforts overnight, according to Fathur Rahman, mission coordinator for Indonesia's search and rescue agency.
Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its Komodo dragons, attracts thousands of tourists each year. Boat accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where safety standards are often lax and overcrowding is a problem.
