Body found in Portuguese tourist search off Croatia

Croatian authorities recovered a body on Thursday during the search for two missing Portuguese tourists off the country's coast, while one man remained missing, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre said.

The search followed the disappearance of four Portuguese tourists whose inflatable boat was caught in a storm in the Velebit Channel on Wednesday morning. Croatian rescuers found two people alive on Wednesday, a woman and a man, after hours of searching.

Both survivors spent nearly eight hours in the water and were recovering in a local hospital, authorities said.

The body was spotted during an aerial search by a police helicopter, and a rescue boat from Senj harbour was sent to the location, the rescue centre said. Crews continued searching parts of Croatia's central coast on Thursday after pausing overnight.

The group had set out from a local campsite in a small boat in the Velebit Channel, a stretch of the Adriatic Sea known for powerful and dangerous winds.

Portugal's foreign ministry said on X that the government was following the situation with great concern and was coordinating with Croatian authorities.