The authorities of the Dominican Republic are searching for five Spanish firefighters who disappeared on Thursday on a hill in the municipality of La Ciénega, in the province of Barahona (southwest of the country), while they were canyoning.
The authorities received “notice” of the disappearance of those five people on Friday morning and “from that very moment they have been working on their search,” as confirmed by the regional director of the Civil Defense in the southwest of the Dominican Republic, Carlos Confidente, who is part of the rescue efforts.
Although names have not been revealed, all of the missing people have been identified. The Spaniards, three men and two women, all firefighters in Seville, arrived in the Dominican Republic on November 14 to practice canyoning, explained their compatriot Eduardo Gómez, who was part of the group of friends who were regulars in this sport.
The five Spaniards disappeared at a time when they were separated from Gómez, who had arrived in this Caribbean country a few days before.
Gómez has tried to communicate with his colleagues, but, as he stated, telephone coverage in the area is weak.
The first information about the disappearance of the group was offered in Santo Domingo at a press conference by emergency agencies to give details of the actions taken due to the rains expected for this weekend, especially in the southwest of the country, due to a potential tropical cyclone, located 400 kilometers from the capital of Jamaica.
The head of Operations of the Dominican Civil Defense, Delfín Antonio Rodríguez, said in that meeting that members of the Tourist Police and the National Army also participate in the search for the foreigners.