A third body believed to be that of one of five French tourists last seen on Sunday night was recovered just off southern Comino yesterday morning.
It took the group of five a full 15 minutes to make it on to the swaying boat after dinner
The discovery follows that of two female bodies found by Fomm ir-Riħ on Tuesday evening.
Police yesterday confirmed they were the two French women reported missing from a yacht in Gozo on Monday. They died of asphyxia from drowning.
Search and rescue efforts are now focused on recovering the two people still missing.
Authorities have yet to confirm the identity of the three bodies, although the names of the five missing people – Philippe Grimaud, 41, Marie Grimaud, 38, Sandrine Godet, 36, Elias Chmouni, 49, and Eli Chmouni, 14 – have been widely reported.
All five were last seen leaving Xlendi bay aboard a four-metre boat late on Sunday night after celebrating Mr Chmouni’s birthday at a local restaurant.
They were thought to be headed to Dwejra, where Mr Chmouni’s yacht, the El Pirata, was anchored.
They were never seen again. Sources told Times of Malta that none of the five were experienced sailors, and that Mr Chmouni had only recently bought the El Pirata from its Spanish skipper, Juan Carlos Montes. They paid him to sail it to Malta from Tunisia on their behalf.
Winds were strong on Sunday night, and a Xlendi witness said it took the group of five a full 15 minutes to make it on to the swaying boat after dinner around midnight.
Mr Montes told TVM yesterday that the weather was fine when they left the yacht but when it deteriorated he left Dwejra for Mġarr, where he registered the boat with the police.
He then tried – and failed – to locate the missing tourists and the small boat in Xlendi.
Sources said the skipper alerted Victoria police to their disappearance at around 4.30pm on Monday.
A large-scale search and rescue operation involving Maltese, Italian and American personnel scoured an area of 1,000 nautical miles, though it would take 24 hours before the first bodies, those believed to be of Ms Godet and Ms Grimaud, were found.
The small boat the five French nationals were last seen on was found some time later, close to Fomm ir-Riħ.
With a 50-horsepower engine, the small boat could technically only be driven by somebody with an internationally recognised small boating licence, such as those provided by the Royal Yachting Association.
It is not known whether any of the five were suitably qualified to drive the boat.
Questions sent to Transport Malta about the El Pirata remained unanswered, while those sent to the Transport Ministry also received no reply.
Maritime rules make it clear that a yacht and its crew are a skipper’s responsibility.
“If I were skipper and conditions weren’t great, there’s no way I would have let them go out on the boat alone,” said skipper Fabrice Bonello Du Puis.
Mr Bonello Du Puis said it was good sailing practice for a skipper to read up about a country’s maritime regulations before entering its waters using pilot books.
Aside from navigational guides, these books include vital information about distress channels, port controls and police contact information.
Another yachtsman, who did not wish to be named, felt some sympathy for the skipper.
“Imagine the owner of the yacht you’re in charge of wanting to go out for some dinner on his birthday with his friends in the sunny Mediterranean. If they know the basics, do you say no? It’s a judgement call,” he said.
1. Sunday afternoon: the El Pirata docks at Dwejra, Gozo.
2. Sunday, 7pm: the five French passengers take a four-metre boat to Xlendi, to celebrate the birthday of yacht owner Elias Chmouni. They leave Xlendi in rough weather at midnight and were not seen alive again.
3. Tuesday, 6:30pm: the bodies of two women are found at Fomm ir-Riħ, 24 hours after the five French nationals are reported missing.
4. Wednesday, 8:30am: rescue crews find a man’s body along Comino’s southern channel.