With the recent disappearance of the Chilean citizen, Favio Oñate, who was working aboard the cruise ship Queen Mary 2 in North Atlantic waters, the Government of Chile, along with conveying its condolences with the situation, reaffirmed its commitment to help the family to find out what has happened.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz, along with the Director General of Consular and Migration Affairs, Ambassador Alejandro Marisio, met with the relatives of the young man from Rancagua to inform them of the efforts of the Foreign Ministry, as well as those who will continue in the coming hours to follow up on the situation.
"With the disappearance of our compatriot, we have passed on to his family that the Foreign Ministry and the Government of Chile will do everything humanly possible to assist in clarifying the situation affecting Favio Oñate, so we can find out what has happened," said Minister Heraldo Muñoz after the meeting.
In this regard, the Secretary of State outlined the efforts made by the Foreign Ministry to locate Favio Oñate and to clarify the events:
- The Ministry has asked the Canadian Government to conduct an investigation into the incident.
- The Chilean Defense Attaché to Canada has requested support from the Canadian Coast Guard in the search for Favio Oñate.
- Contact has been made with the Consul in London so as to acquire more information. Also, the General Consul of Chile to Montreal will go to Halifax, the Canadian east-coast city where the cruise will dock, to continue the investigation.
Minister Muñoz said that while there is an investigation underway of the company that owns the cruise ship, the Foreign Ministry is doing "everything that is within our reach, because we share in the tremendous concern of the family to find out the fate of a loved on. For this reason, we are monitoring the situation and informing the family about everything that we find out."
For his part, Ambassador Marisio reaffirmed the commitment of the Foreign Ministry to ensure due process to ascertain the facts. He has instructed the consulate in Halifax to obtain legal advice on how to proceed with the investigation.
Chilean chef, Favio Oñate (26), who was working aboard the cruise ship, Queen Mary 2, disappeared during the early hours of Saturday when the ship was travelling from Southampton, England to Halifax, a city off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.