Search for SIMSHAR

[Gazzetta]

The 11 yr old was also found alive !!!!!!!!!!!!;D

Chris 

[bigboy]

ANOTHER FLASH NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SIMON'S SON THEO WAS FOUND ALIVE ASWELL..

[camkev]

This is very good news!!!!Now we should know what happened!Thay are saying that there boat exploded!

[Gazzetta]

That's what they are saying, Simon has burns !!

Chris 

[bigboy]

Simon has burns yes. It could be an explosion. God has listened to all the prayers of the maltese people.

[Gazzetta]

Times of Malta :

Contrary to previous reports, the boy, Theo, 11, has not been found, despite reports of that discovery by a fishing boat.


Chris 

[bigboy]

Theo is still out there dead or alive They heard the fisherman say that the son was found but they were referring to simon. Flash news on tvm has also said that the other body could be of Simon's Father Karmnu.

[jdf]

Thank God for this good news...

My deep and sincere symphaties to the other families.

[bigboy]

Simon gave indications taht the erithrein fisherman had died. His son was still alive till yesterday morning but he fell off the raft and he did not see him anymore. Lets hope he is found alive but hopes for him to bne found alive are very small

[fishfinder]

This is the last Report from Times of Malta

The only survivor of the fishing tragedy, Simon Bugeja transported to Mater Dei Hospital by an Italian helicopter, yesterday. Photo: Jason Borg

While the whole of Malta held its breath during the past week over the fate of four fishermen and an 11-year-old boy, a drama was being enacted out at sea that would scare the daylights out of anyone, even if it were only a fictitious account - which it wasn't.

Ray Bugeja, President of the Fisheries Cooperative and owner of the trawler Grecale last night told The Times how Simon Bugeja, in his late 30s, managed to keep his wits about him to try to save his crew including his son, Teo,11, after the vessel they were on, the Simshar, was blown apart following an explosion in the engine room.

Simon Bugeja recounted this horrific ordeal to Mark Bugeja, captain of the trawler Grecale. Mr Bugeja was found by the Grecale and was flown to Mater Dei Hospital last night after he was found alive yesterday at about 7.45 p.m., having spent eight days at sea.

While they were on their way back to Malta Thursday week, the crew heard a bang in one of the engines and when Simon went down to check, an explosion ripped the boat apart and the crew ended up in the water.

The first thing Mr Bugeja tried to do was to inflate a life raft, but for some reason the raft did not inflate.

Mr Bugeja then started to put together the pieces of polystyrene (jablo) they had in a sack and which they used to keep the long lines they were using to catch swordfish afloat, and started to fashion a raft holding the pieces of jablo together with rope.

The raft was only several centimetres above the water.

Floating as best they could they hoped help would soon be around. On Saturday, however, the Eritrean member of the crew died while the next member to lose his life was Noel Carabott who died on Sunday. On Monday, Mr Bugeja's father passed away and Simon tied pieces of polystyrene to his hands hoping against hope that he would be found afloat. They suffered from hypothermia.

"This morning (Friday) Teo was still alive although completely exhausted. At one point a helicopter seemed to have spotted us because it came down quite close to the water and I started waving a piece of cloth to the crew and calling in Maltese 'We are Maltese, we are Europeans' but the helicopter - I don't know what nationality it was - just flew on," Simon Bugeja recounted to Mark Bugeja as told to this newspaper by Ray Bugeja.

At one point, the boy, Teo slipped off the raft lifeless into the water and his father, who could barely move as his physical strength was at its lowest ebb could not do anything to save him. The other crew members had succumbed also because they had drunk seawater, something Simon Bugeja had cautioned them against.

Ray Bugeja said that he had instructed the captain of the Grecale to go out and search for the missing crew last Monday and other boats left Marsaxlokk where the missing crew were based. In fact, it was the three boats, Laura, Grecale and San Ġorg that found the two bodies and Simon Bugeja.

The bodies and the survivor were found about 30 miles from the spot where the explosion occurred.

"Simon Bugeja had terrific courage urging the others to hang on," Ray Bugeja said.

When the crew of the Grecale spotted Simon Bugeja they communicated the coordinates to the Armed Forces of Malta who immediately deployed a helicopter belonging to the Italian Military Mission in Malta, which flew Mr Bugeja to hospital.

Earlier, the bodies of his father, Karmenu, in his 60s, and Noel Carabott, 33, were found at sea.

The first body to be recovered by the Armed Forces of Malta on Thursday night was that of Mr Carabott.

Mr Bugeja's corpse was spotted by fishermen floating with two pieces of polystyrene (jablo) tied to his hands yesterday afternoon.

A post mortem held at Mater Dei Hospital mortuary on Mr Carabott yesterday morning showed that the fisherman had died of "asphyxia due to drowning".

The body was identified by Mr Carabott's wife. The AFM were alerted and a patrol boat went over to the spot indicated. The body was recovered at about 2 a.m. yesterday. It was taken to Haywharf and then to hospital.

The police said the corpse was in an advanced stage of decomposition and had no identification documents. The sources said there was no life jacket on the body.

The sources added that the corpse had a tattoo identical to the one Mr Carabott had. There was also a bracelet identical to one owned by Mr Carabott.

Karmenu (Carmelo) Bugeja's body was found by fishermen on board the fishing vessel San Ġorġ about five nautical miles from where Mr Carabott's corpse was found.

As soon as the crew of the San Ġorġ spotted the body they radioed the news to the AFM and a helicopter and a patrol boat were deployed to the area. The body was landed at Haywharf late at night.

The sources said the fishermen who found the second body immediately identified it as that of Karmenu Bugeja.

The fishermen had left Marsaxlokk on a swordfish fishing trip on July 14, a Monday, and had to return four days later on Friday, but did not. A report was filed by relatives on Saturday.

[busumark]

no-body was found by the AFM personell. everyone was found by the fishing vessels. if it wasnt for the gregale simon would be dead. ok they searched for them and with helicopters italian/american and they see nothing. and than the fishing vessels from sea level they spot them. come on rescue personell make more effort to save lives. even i would be dead if it wasnt for a fishing vessel the amantea. the AFM didnt save us.

[bigboy]

I agree with you 100% busumark. The government can do much more but he does not want to spend too much money for search and rescue. Disgrace mil kbar misna nisthu ee.

[fishfinder]

We should inform Peppi of Xarabank and we will invite the brigadir and the PM and we go all toghether as  big team and we ask for an explanation why AFM are not doing enough effort or why they don't have enough equipment.

By the way just to inform you that according to the last info I got from the shop where i bought my vhf is that MMSI are still not working For Malta cause they still have to build the station and France will get only a signal that somewhere with1-3 mile range of a specific area there's a distress signal.

Tajjeb Hux??? mur ghoqod hallas

[Buddhagrass]

X'misthija ..... lanqas irid nemmen. Provru tifel .... j'alla jirnexilu isavla miskin ghalkemm difficili issa wara daz-zmien kollu. Jiena ghalija Simon qalbu kbira ghax ghalkemm irnexxilu jghix hu prova jaghmel hiltu kolla biex jaghmel kuragg il-bqija tal-crew. Respect.

[busumark]

if this thing of the mmsi is not really working we have to speak up for sure. they take your 55 euros. they dont tell you that it doesnt work. if you read MALTA TODAY ON SUNDAY there are the angry comments of the fisherman about the AFM. interesting article