Spanish fishermen on sinking tragedy off Canada

The Spanish fishing community of Cangas do Morrazo expressed shock on Tuesday after a ship based in the port sunk in rough seas off Newfoundland in eastern Canada, killing at least seven people.

Three crew members were rescued and a maritime search in the North Atlantic was launched for the 14 other missing crew members. A Canadian helicopter, an aircraft and a rescue vessel were dispatched to the area, 450 kilometers off the island of Newfoundland. The sunken boat named Villa de Pitanxo operates out of northwest Spain's Galicia region. The crew included 16 Spaniards, five Peruvians and three fishermen from Ghana.

A Spanish fishing boat working nearby was the first to arrive and found three survivors and four bodies in one of the vessel's four lifeboats.A marine mechanic told reporters the crews were known to everyone and the boat had been in repair in the town just 15 days ago.