Missing fishermen identified

The remains of Tomás Ladrón de Guevara and José Antonio López, who drowned off the coast of Lanzarote 51 years ago, will finally be reunited with their families in Cadíz. after their identities were confirmed by DNA testing.

The uncle and nephew died along with ten of their crew mates when their fishing boat, the Domenech de Varó, sank off the coast of Mala on the 6th February 1973. Difficulties with communication with the mainland at the time meant that the retrieval of five bodies was not made known to the Cadiz authorities.

In 2022 the son of one of the victims, José Manuel Pose, discovered that five unidentified bodies were in a cemetery in Arrecife, and that they could be the missing crewmen.

The daughter of Tomás Ladrón, Ana, said yesterday “I can’t stop crying for happiness. It’s been a tough day, happy, sad and emotional.”