Contacted by the Lusa agency, the port captain and commander of the Maritime Police (PM) of Caminha, in the Viana do Castelo district, said that the arrival of the helicopter "is scheduled for this morning, to reinforce the device that has already been on the ground since 08:15am”.

"The helicopter will hit the area from the beginning of the international section, at the confluence of the Trancoso River with the Minho River, up to the Lapela Tower, in Monção", he explained.

Pedro Costa explained that the searches are taking place in the parish of Remões, an area of ??the river where the young man of 26 “was last seen”.

"In this area it is impossible to practice diving, the river flows a lot. We are doing searches on the surface and dismounted, with the help of the helicopter", specified Pedro Costa.

Two boats are involved in the operations, with two operational each, one from the PM in Caminha and the other from the Spanish Navy.

On the banks, according to Pedro Costa, nine operatives from the Melgaço firefighters are deployed on the Portuguese side and, in Galicia, 10 elements of the Guardia Civil.

The search and rescue operation aims to find a young man who fell on Tuesday, at 6.20pm, to the river Minho, in Melgaço.

On Tuesday, the port captain and commander of the Caminha PM stated that on 1 April the search operations will count on the participation of a Spanish Navy vessel.

On the Portuguese side, Pedro Costa said, means will be mobilized from the captaincy and the PM from Caminha, from the firefighters and GNR.

In total, 14 operational and two search vessels on the surface and along the banks of the international river will be involved.

The accident triggered, as is customary in that cross-border zone, the ARIEM + project - Interregional Reciprocal Assistance in Cross-Border Emergencies and Risks.

The objectives of ARIEM + include the creation of a Single Operational Command Network for the joint management of human and material resources in situations of risk that improve the management and coordination of emergencies at the site.

On Tuesday, the 26-year-old "slipped and fell" when "strolling" along the international river, in the parish of Remoães, in the municipality of Melgaço.

According to Viana do Castelo District Relief Operations Command (CDOS) "the alert was given by a person who accompanied the young man on the walk by the river".

The same source added that "the person accompanying the young man reported that he slipped and ended up falling into the waters of the Minho River".