At least seven people have died and 14 are missing after a Spanish fishing boat sank in bitterly cold seas off the north-east coast of Canada early on Tuesday morning. Spain’s maritime rescue service said an international operation was under way to locate the crew of the Villa de Pitanxo, a boat from the north-western Galicia region that went down 280 miles (450km) off the Newfoundland coast. Three people have been plucked from a life raft and seven bodies have been recovered in a search operation that has been hindered by wind, rough seas and reduced visibility. “An air and sea operation has been launched to rescue the 24 crew members of the Villa de Pitanxo fishing vessel, a 50-metre-long fishing boat that operates from Marín, in Pontevedra,” it said. “The crew is made up of 16 Spaniards, five Peruvians and three Ghanaians.” A plane, two helicopters and four boats are combing the area for survivors. Canadian rescuers said they were optimistic, despite the bad weather. “The fact that we have already found three survivors in a life raft gives us that hope that others were able to either get into their survival suits, get into life rafts and get off the vessel,” Brian Owens, of Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, told AFP. The centre added: “The search continues for the remaining crew and we hold out hope that we will find them. We will update as soon as more information becomes available.” It said the Villa de Pitanxo sent out a distress signal just after midnight local time on Tuesday. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the government was in constant contact with the rescue services. “We’re following the search and rescue effort for the crew of the Galician boat that sank off Newfoundland with worry and concern,” Sánchez tweeted. “All my love to their families.” Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the regional president of Galicia, also said his thoughts were with the families of the crew. “We’re following the terrible news that has reached us from Canada of the sinking of the Villa de Pitanxo, a boat from Marín,” he said, adding that the regional government was ready to do whatever it could to help.