The body of a woman, around 40 years old, was discovered on the afternoon of Saturday, January 31st, floating approximately five nautical miles (about 9.3 kilometers) south of the Desertas Islands, in the Madeira archipelago.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are, for now, unknown.
In a statement, the National Maritime Authority explains that the alert was given at 1:24 pm by a fishing vessel sailing nearby, which reported the presence of a body in the sea.
Following the report, rescue resources were activated, including crew members from the Funchal Lifesaving Station, as well as members of the Funchal Local Maritime Police Command and the Judicial Police.
Upon arrival at the scene, the victim was recovered and transported to the Funchal port dock by the Lifeguard Station. There, the Health Delegate proceeded with the official death verification.
The body will now be sent to the Medical-Legal and Forensic Office of Madeira, after the Judicial Police carry out the necessary examinations. The incident was handled by the Local Command of the Maritime Police of Funchal.