Scot feared dead after being swept out to sea on holiday in Madeira
A Scottish tourist is missing feared dead after being swept out to sea on the holiday island of Madeira.
Retired Volvo executive Derek Jessiman had been on the Portuguese island since the start of the year, according to local media.
The missing holidaymaker, thought to be aged 60, disappeared around 10:30pm on Wednesday night as he was taking pictures of storm waves near the Atlantic Palms Hotel in the capital, Funchal.
Funchal Port police chief Paulo Silva Ribeiro said he was not in a position to confirm the identity of the missing man but said he was based on the Algarve.
He said yesterday: “The air force helicopter hasn’t been able to go out today because of the poor visibility but the land and sea search is continuing.
“The search will continue until at least the end of the day and I will reassess the situation at the end of the day, although my intention is to resume the land search again [on Saturday] and put a small boat out to sea near the shoreline.
“There’s a possibility he may be trapped somewhere in a cave and we’re searching as best we can, although the sea conditions are making it difficult to do a proper search of the caves.
“But I’m not optimistic. If the worst has happened and he is dead, then there is always a possibility we will not find his body.”
The Falkirk College-educated industrial chemical engineering graduate worked for several British chemical companies before moving into the car industry.
His executive posts included a long spell as general manager at Volvo Car Sverige before he left Sweden and moved to Belgium in 2007 to become managing director at Volvo Cars Gent.
A yellow weather warning was in place for the area when he was swept in the sea.
TV footage of the area where he was last seen showed that barriers with a “Do not pass” sign on them had been erected to stop people reaching the seafront. Another sign, with the word “Danger” on it in English and Portuguese, warned people that access to the area was strictly forbidden.
Dozens of police officers began a land search the night of the incident and around 60 police, civil protection and navy personnel were involved in a search yesterday.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said: “We are in contact with Portuguese police and rescue services following reports of a British man missing on Madeira, and are providing support to his family.”
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