A Spanish businessman disappears after falling from his boat between Sicily and Greece: his wife spent three days adrift and heard him shout "Menchu, turn off the engine!"

A Spanish businessman has gone missing after falling overboard during a sailing trip between Sicily and Greece. The man, Juan José Mutilba Obregón, 66, disappeared on Tuesday while aboard his boat with his wife, Carmen, 67. According to reports, Carmen spent three days adrift on the vessel before finally managing to make contact with land. She claimed she heard her husband shouting, “Menchu, turn off the engine!” as he fell into the sea. The search for Mutilba continues, with maritime rescue services actively looking for him. His son, Sergio Mutilba, who has traveled to the area to support the efforts, stated that the search remains ongoing, though information has been limited so far. Mutilba had retired early and had dedicated much of his time to sailing alongside his wife. The couple had been traveling around Europe for several months, visiting countries such as Italy, France, and Greece. According to family accounts, the incident occurred on Monday when both Mutilbas set sail from Syracuse, Sicily, heading toward Pilos on the Greek coast. Their journey proceeded normally until the following morning. During this time, Mutilba was cleaning a tuna he had caught when he slipped, possibly due to blood from the fish, and fell overboard. At that point, the couple was already far from shore. Carmen, who holds a recreational boating license, found herself unable to navigate the boat alone under these circumstances. “She became frozen, didn’t know how to react, and the boat started moving further away,” explained Sergio. As Mutilba fell behind in the water, the boat continued its course without his wife being able to return to him. For the next three days, Carmen remained on board, trying to reach emergency services but lacking signal coverage, approximately 150 miles from the nearest coast. She stayed on the boat, which had food supplies, frequently checking the cabin to see if she could regain connection and request help. Meanwhile, a friend of Mutilba, who is an expert in navigation and often followed his journeys, noticed that the boat had deviated from its planned route. He attempted to contact Mutilba but received no response due to the lack of connectivity. It wasn't until Friday, three days after the fall, that Carmen regained signal and contacted this friend. From there, an alarm was raised, prompting Spanish maritime rescue services to relay the alert to Italian and Greek authorities. Several vessels responded to the location where the boat was found and eventually took control of it, guiding it safely to Pilos. Now, the priority is finding Mutilba. Sergio noted that the alert has passed through the maritime rescue services of Spain, Italy, and Greece, and the family is aware that the operation continues, although they receive little detailed information about its progress. He urged that the search should not stop and called for greater involvement from Spanish authorities. “We should talk to the Ministry of the Interior and see if more resources can be mobilized,” he added, hoping that the search will continue and that the family can learn more precisely what resources are being used. Mutilba worked as an IT professional for many years, leading D'ors Informática. Later, he engaged in distributing water to companies through Mutobre, S.L., a business that his son took over last year with a partner. Since retiring, sailing had become one of his main pursuits, and he regularly traveled around the world.