"The body was within the perimeter defined for the search, having been detected by a crew member on a jet ski about one kilometre west of the place where he had last been seen," Rodrigo Gonzalez dos Paços, captain of the Port of Portimão (Faro district), told Lusa.

According to the Navy officer, the alert for the disappearance of the man, 72 years old, a Portuguese emigrant living in France, was given by his family around 9am, and several rescue measures were immediately sent to the place.

Gonzalez dos Paços also said that, at this moment, the man's family "is receiving psychological support, in view of the tragic situation".

The search operations involved elements from the Maritime Police, the Ferragudo Lifeguard Station, the Portimão firefighters, the National Medical Emergency Institute, the "SeaWatch" project, with several boats and the EH101 helicopter from the Portuguese Air Force.