Tugboat: final toll of 5 deaths, except for the commander

(ANSA) - BARI, MAY 19 - The final balance of the sinking of a tug that took place last night fifty miles off the coast of Bari, in international waters, is five dead and one survivor.

Confirmation comes from investigative sources.

The commander, a 63-year-old Sicilian, is the only survivor and is currently hospitalized in the Di Venere hospital in Bari. The other five crew members who were on board, two Apulians from Bari and Molfetta, two from the Marches and a Tunisian, were identified at sea after hours of searches and four already recovered.

In the next few hours, their bodies will be transported by a Coast Guard patrol boat to the port of Bari. The pontoon that was attached to the tug will also arrive in Bari.

The sunken vessel, which left Ancona and headed for Albania,

he was towing the pontoon which in the port of Durazzo was to be used for maritime works.

After the sinking, another tugboat that was in the area has recovered the pontoon adrift and is now traveling towards the Apulian coast.

The 11 on board are in good condition and are, in addition to the surviving commander, the only eyewitnesses to the shipwreck.

(HANDLE).