Ecuadorian fishermen have continued to report alleged attacks at sea, with new claims emerging from the crew of the vessel Negra Francisca Duarte.
The ship’s captain, Hernán Flores, along with his lawyer and seven crew members, described what they say happened on March 17, when their vessel caught fire about 170 miles from the Galápagos Islands.
“They were never shipwrecked, but victims of an attack,” Flores said as he presented his account.
According to his testimony, a drone approached the vessel shortly after 1 p.m. and then exploded.
“The boys were on deck and saw a drone approaching us; not long after, that drone exploded in the cabin, I looked back and the fire was already quite advanced.”
The crew attempted to control the fire with extinguishers but were unsuccessful. All 16 people on board abandoned the vessel using two auxiliary boats.
Flores said they then approached another vessel seeking help, where they encountered armed personnel.
“Once we arrived, there were soldiers, they were gringos, we approached and asked for help, then they pointed a gun at us and told us to raise our hands, so I lowered it and told them we had a wounded person with us.”
The following day, March 18, the group was handed over to a patrol from El Salvador. Their rescue was later reported several days afterward.
The crew returned to Ecuador about a week ago but had not spoken publicly until now. They said they decided to share their account after hearing similar reports from fishermen aboard another vessel, the Don Maca.
Their lawyer, Jorge Chiriboga, said legal options are being evaluated, noting that they have not yet had access to official reports detailing how Salvadoran authorities encountered the fishermen.
Another unresolved case involves the vessel Fiorella, which disappeared in January with eight crew members. Families fear a similar incident may have occurred.
Authorities in Manta have not commented on the testimonies presented.