Mr. Menkerios Haile: UN envoy in Pretoria to discuss efforts to resolve Zimbabwe crisis

Haile Menkerios (left) talking to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

UN News Centre

19/07/08

18 July 2008 – Senior United Nations political official Haile Menkerios is in Pretoria, South Africa, to further Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s efforts to help resolve the political crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe, a spokesman for the world body announced today.Mr. Menkerios, who is Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, has been in meetings with South African President Thabo Mbeki and with the African Union Chairperson Jean Ping, Marie Okabe told reporters.

He was expected to be briefed on the state of the mediation efforts aimed at resolving the ongoing dispute between President Robert Mugabe, who was sworn in for another term after being declared the winner of the 27 June presidential run-off, and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

The Southern African nation has been plagued by deadly violence and a worsening humanitarian situation since the first round of elections was held on 29 March.

The mediation efforts are being led by South Africa at the request of the South African Development Community (SADC).

The Eritrean man died. the body was identified by his wife….

Missing boy sea search resumes

by di-ve.com

Local News

19 July 2008

The Armed Forces of Malta are resuming their search for the 11-year-old boy who is still missing when the vessel he was on, the Simshar, was blown apart following an explosion in the engine room.

The boy, Teo Bugeja was with his father Simon and his grandfather Karmenu together with two crew members on a fishing expedition.

The boat owner Simon Bugeja was found a live and two others were lifted dead out of the water as the search for the fishing vessel that went missing eight days ago intensified on Friday.

Two others the 11-year-old boy and an Eritrean crew member are still missing. Simon Bugeja recounted his horrific ordeal to the president of the National Fisheries Cooperative.

He said that when they were back on Thursday week, an explosion ripped the boat apart and the crew ended up in the water. The crew kept hanging to some pieces of jablo. The Eritrean man died on Saturday while Noel Carabott – whose lifeless body was identified by his wife – died on Sunday.

On Monday, Karmenu Bugeja passed away. The 11-year-old boy Teo albeit completely exhausted was still alive on Friday morning. But at one point, the boy slipped off the raft lifeless into the water.

Simon Bugeja recounted how at one point on Friday, a helicopter came down quite close to the water but just flew on.

Owner found alive, two bodies

recovered

George Cini and Michael Testa

Timesofmalta.com

19/07/08

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.