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Date Published: 04/02/2025

Body of missing Swiss footballer Jakov Jelkic found in Alicante port

Authorities are currently considering it to be an accidental death

The search for Jakov Jelkic, a 24-year-old Swiss footballer who had been missing since the early hours of Saturday morning, February 1, has come to a tragic end. His body was discovered on Monday February 3 in the waters of the port of Alicante city by the National Police, and Guardia Civil divers retrieved him from the water.

Jakov Jelkic, who had joint Swiss and Croatian nationality, was last seen around 2.30am on Saturday in the area of the Upikum club in Alicante. He had been on holiday with teammates from his Swiss football club, enjoying a night out in the city. His friends lost track of him when he returned to the club to retrieve his jacket. The next morning, they realised he had not returned to the hotel and reported him missing.

Following the report, police launched an investigation, with Spanish missing persons association SOS Desaparecidos issuing a search alert. Authorities examined CCTV footage from various locations, including the Town Hall, Panoramis and the Port Authority, which showed Jakov walking alone towards the Distrito Digital area of the port. His phone signal was lost just before 3am on Saturday morning.

The search intensified in this area, with the Violent Crime Group of the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade leading the investigation. Assistance was provided by the National Police Aerial Means Unit, Guardia Civil’s Underwater Activities Specialist Group (GEAS), the Port Police and the Security Chief of the Port Authority.

A breakthrough came when an investigator from the Judicial Police spotted a body at a depth of about two metres at the end of the pier in Distrito Digital. GEAS divers recovered the body, and shortly before 6.30pm, authorities confirmed it was Jakov Jelkic.

His body has been transported to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Alicante, where an autopsy will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.

At this stage, investigators believe Jakov’s death was accidental, with no third-party involvement suspected.

This tragic incident marks the second death recorded in Alicante’s port over the weekend. On Sunday, emergency services recovered the body of a woman in a wheelchair who had also been missing since Saturday.

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