The Canada Mounted Police said this Thursday that will not investigate the sinking of the fishing boat Galician Villa de Pitanxothat took place last Tuesday in the waters of the Great Bank of New Earth† because it’s international waters†

The police indicated that the competences to investigate the causes of the shipwreck, correspond to the authorities of the country where the trawler was registeredin this case the Spanish State.

But Canadian police have also indicated that they will assist the coroner “to receive the victims of the tragedy in the port of San Juan de Newfoundland, assist in the identification of the victims and the eventual repatriation of the remains to their country of origin .”

Located in the town of Marín (Spain) in Pontevedra, the Villa de Pitanxo had a crew of 24 people, three of whom survived.

Spanish, Portuguese and Canadian ships that came to the rescue were able to recover the bodies of nine crew members, while a further 12 are missing.

Of the 24 crew members16 were of Spanish nationality, five Peruvian and three Ghanaian.

Late on Wednesday, Canadian authorities announced that suspension of search tasks after 36 hours of operations due to the inability to locate the 12 alive disappeared.

Canadian authorities have said they are awaiting the arrival in San Juan de Terranova next Friday for the two ships carrying the survivors and the recovered bodies.