29-year-old French man went missing on March 30
Authorities have confirmed the discovery of a body believed to be that of a 29-year-old French paraglider who went missing on March 30 off the southern coast of Praia das Furnas, in the western Algarve municipality of Vila do Bispo.
The body was found on Sunday afternoon at another local beach, Praia da Figueira, at around 4.30pm by beachgoers who quickly notified emergency services, says the National Maritime Authority (AMN).
Members of the Lagos Maritime Police, along with firefighters from Lagos and Vila do Bispo, responded immediately. The body was recovered by the Lagos Lifeboat Station crew and transported by sea to the Baleeira port.
The man’s death was declared by the local health delegate. The body will undergo forensic examination by PJ criminal police before being transferred to the Legal Medicine Office in Portimão.
Search and rescue operations had been ongoing since the day of the disappearance, involving land and sea teams, drones, and the support of the Lagos Municipal Civil Protection Service. Despite combing the coastline between Praia da Boca do Rio and Praia do Martinhal, initial efforts failed to locate the missing man.
Authorities were able to presumably identify the missing man early in the investigation by matching the registration number on the recovered paraglider with a vehicle found parked nearby. Both the paraglider and the car were registered to the same 29-year-old French national.
