2006-11-13Staff Report 2 "By Staff Reporter Diaz Trawling (Pty) Ltd has finally announced the names of the three crewmembers that tragically died on its hake trawler MFV Diaz while fishing off the Namibian coast last Wednesday. The trawler was rocked by a loud explosion in the engine room Wednesday evening unleashing a fierce fire onboard the vessel, which continued burning until the vessel eventually sank at 15h20 Thursday afternoon. The three were Spanish Chief Engineer Luis Rodal Molanes (35), First Engineer Juan Manuel Filgueras Cordal (32) and Namibian Engine Room Assistant Thomas Singonge (35). ""It is with great sadness that we have to confirm the deaths of our three colleagues, all engineering officers, who presumably were overcome by the explosion in the engine room,"" the company said in a statement released Friday. The fire on the MFV Diaz, according to the company, was so intense that rescuers could not approach the vessel to try and recover the remains of the three crewmembers. The vessel sank at a depth of 421 metres, approximately 249 kilometres from Walvis Bay off the Namibian coast. It is not known whether any attempt will be made to salvage the vessel, or whether any salvage effort is even feasible. Diaz Trawling says the remaining crewmembers were picked up from life rafts by another fishing vessel, the MFV Komukandi, approximately two hours after the accident. They landed at Walvis Bay at around midday on Friday, where they were provided with full medical treatment. The survivors also had to be provided with clothing and other items, having lost all their belongings when abandoning the ill-fated MFV Diaz. The company said that after receiving clearance from the relevant authorities the crewmembers would be transported back to their home base at LÃÆ'Æ'Æ'ÃÆ''šÃ‚¼deritz. Meanwhile, ministerial spokesperson Julius Ngweda yesterday confirmed that Minister of Works, Transport and Communication Joel Kaapanda had ordered an urgent investigation into the sea tragedy. Ngweda indicated that the preliminary findings of the investigation might become available as early as this coming week." 2006-11-13Staff Report 2
