FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – A coalition of search and rescue (SAR) organisations is set to join the criminal trial in the Cutro shipwreck case as a civil party.
The trial seeks justice for the tragic events of February 25-26, 2023, when a boat sank off the coast of Calabria, Italy, resulting in one of the deadliest shipwrecks in Italy’s recent history. At least 94 people died, 80 survived, and an unknown number remain missing.
Six officials from the Italian Coast Guard (Guardia di Costiera) and Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) are accused by the Italian public prosecutor of causing negligent shipwreck and multiple counts of manslaughter.
The alliance of SAR organisations commented: “Repeated failures to launch timely rescues are not accidents, they are calculated negligence. Italian authorities have systematically ignored their duty to rescue, but the deadly cycle of impunity must end now. Those in power must no longer be allowed to evade justice while people drown at sea.”
Emergency, Louise Michel, Mediterranea Saving Humans, Sea-Watch, SOS Humanity, and SOS Mediterranee aim to support the families of the victims, provide expertise to the legal process, and ensure that justice is served. The alliance calls for an immediate end to the criminalisation of people on the move and deliberate neglect of rescue operations. A strong commitment to upholding international maritime and human rights law must be the foundation of all political decisions.