Belgrade: Authorities said they had recovered a body during the search for two missing Portuguese tourists off Croatia's coast on Thursday, a day after two others were rescued when their inflatable boat was caught in a storm.
Rescue teams were still scouring parts of Croatia's central coast for another man who was on board the vessel when it went missing on Wednesday morning, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre said.
"The body was spotted during an aerial search by a police helicopter, and a rescue boat from Senj harbour was immediately dispatched to the location," the statement said.
Croatian rescuers on Wednesday found two people alive, a woman and a man, after hours of intensive searching. Both spent nearly eight hours in the water and are now recovering in a local hospital.
The group of tourists were reported missing after setting 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.
After pausing the search overnight, crews continued to look for the missing man on Thursday, saying earlier that they remained hopeful due to the warm sea temperature.
Portugal's foreign ministry said on X that the government was following the situation "with great concern and in close coordination with the Croatian authorities".
Croatia is a popular tourist destination, and last year the Balkan country of 3.8 million people welcomed nearly 22 million visitors.
Most flock to Croatia's Adriatic coast, dotted with more than 1,000 islands and islets.
