The discovery of the body of a child kidnapped by her father shocked in Spain
The Spanish search ship that found the girl's body at the bottom of the ocean
The body of a six-year-old girl who was kidnapped with her sister by their father has been found off the coast of the Spanish island of Tenerife after weeks of searches, sparking an emotional wave in Spain.
Olivia, the sixth daughter, and her one-year-old sister Anna, have been missing since the end of last April on the island in the Canary archipelago after their father, who is also missing, sent a "farewell" message to their separated mother, a spokesman for the Spanish Civil Guard announced.
In the wake of their loss, a boat belonging to the father and a child safety seat used by me were found sank off the coast of Tenerife, prompting the authorities to launch searches in the area.
These operations continued until a dead body was found at the bottom of the ocean, which was identified as the girl Olivia.
The authorities continue to search for Anna and her father off the coast of the island located in the Atlantic Ocean, next to the northwest coast of the African continent.
Spanish media, quoting sources familiar with the investigation, reported that the father of the two girls was seen on the day of their disappearance carrying several bags on his boat.
According to press information, Olivia's body was found at a depth of 1,000 meters inside a bag that was placed on the anchor of the boat.
"It is unimaginable. This is the last thing we expected. We had hope that we would find the girls and that Thomas (the father) would take care of them," Joaquin Amels, a spokesman for the family of Beatriz, the mother of the two girls, told Spanish public television.
The announcement of the finding of Olivia's body sparked a wide wave of emotion in the country.
In Spain, 39 minors have been murdered by their current or former stepfathers or stepfathers since 2013, according to government figures on gender-based violence.
Feminist associations called for demonstrations on Friday evening in several Spanish cities to condemn this crime and the increase in murders of women since the beginning of the year in the country that occupies a leading position in the fight against male violence in Europe.
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