According to the PSP Regional Command, the police became aware of the disappearance of the tourist, who was taking a hiking trail in Lagoa do Fogo, on Sunday, through "the participation of the companion of the missing citizen".

In a press release, the police said that, initially, the searches focused on the pedestrian trail that the man was taking, but later they began to cover "an increasingly larger area".

According to the PSP, the searches are taking place using resources from the Detached Force of the Special Police Unit of the Regional Command, including Cinotechnical Teams with canines specially trained for rescue situations and the use of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

In this operation, the PSP counts on the collaboration of the Volunteer Firefighters of Vila Franca do Campo and Ribeira Grande and the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change, whose operatives assisted the police on the ground, which enables "a more comprehensive and thorough search in the theatre of operations".

However, "it has not yet been possible to locate" the tourist, reveals the PSP, requesting that "any useful information" that may eventually be obtained by a citizen "must be promptly reported to the Ponta Delgada Police Division".

The PSP also warns that any collaboration by civilians "should be limited precisely to the sharing of information", stressing that the measures should be carried out "only by specialised operatives".