Canadian Police Lack Mandate to Probe Sinking Spanish Trawler Off Newfoundland, Reports Say

MADRID (Sputnik) - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will not investigate the shipwreck of the Spanish trawler Villa de Pitanxo off Newfoundland's coast as the incident occurred in international waters, the country's law enforcement agencies told Spanish news agency EFE on Friday.
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The mandate to investigate the shipwreck belongs to the country where the trawler was registered - Spain, the police said.
The Canadian law enforcement agencies expressed their readiness to assist Spain in taking in the victims, and helping in identifying and repatriating the remains to their countries of origin, according to the media.
The Spanish-flagged fishing vessel Villa de Pitanxo sank off the coast of Canada on Monday. There were 22 people on board, including 12 Spaniards, as well as citizens of Peru and Ghana. At the time of the crash, the ship was 250 miles away from the coast.
On Tuesday, the Spanish maritime rescue service said that at least four people died in the shipwreck, and their bodies were found in the area.
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