The Simshar tragedy that has left three dead, a young boy missing and a fisherman badly injured will certainly go down in the annals of Maltese maritime history as one of the most dramatic disasters at sea. The calamity has not only shocked the small village of Marsaxlokk but also the whole island, even because it involved young Teo Bugeja, just 11 years old, who at the time of writing was still unaccounted for after his father, Simshar owner Simon Bugeja, said he witnessed his son going down but was too weak to do anything about it.
What we know for sure is the toll: Karmenu Bugeja, 61, Noel Carabott, 33, and Abdulrahman Abdala Gedi, a 21-year-old Somali, dead; the boy missing and Simon Bugeja, 31, the only survivor, receiving treatment at Mater Dei Hospital's intensive care unit. May he have a speedy and full recovery, although he will carry the psychological scars of this traumatic experience for the rest of his life.
Mr Bugeja is reported to have told his rescuers and family members that the Simshar sank after a sudden powerful explosion in the engine room on Thursday last week while on its way back home.
Crew members of the Grecale, the fishing boat that spotted the survivor late last Friday afternoon, yesterday spoke of a big fire onboard.
The results of the post-mortem examinations on the victims indicated they died of drowning.
In such circumstances, when all the details of what actually happened are still unknown, it is easy to speculate and, worse, to arrive to the wrong conclusions. The investigators must be given time to look closely into the matter and see what conclusions they are able to draw. Admittedly, this is not an easy case to solve for different reasons: The distance from Malta; the fact that a lot of the evidence must be lying deep in the Mediterranean Sea, if not beyond; and also considering that four of the five eyewitnesses cannot be heard.
Running parallel with the speculation on what led to this tragedy is criticism levelled at the Armed Forces of Malta about the manner in which they conducted their search and rescue operation. The authorities can put paid to this controversy by ordering a thorough investigation. The main benefit of such an inquiry would, of course, be that systems that do not work or equipment that is necessary but is not available can be identified and remedial action taken.
Amid the sorrow and despair, the Simshar tragedy has had one very positive outcome: The unity among the people of Marsaxlokk and, more particularly, among the fishing fraternity. Rather than curse the dark, the fishermen decided to put in their little bit and sailed out in droves looking for their missing colleagues. It is no fault of theirs that what they found was death and destruction. Their effort was rewarded when they came across the sole survivor. It was as if nature itself wanted to show that perseverance pays.
Marsaxlokk and, indeed, the whole of Malta are in mourning and hoping, even if against all hope, that Teo will be found too. They must now resolve to insist that all lessons that can be drawn from this tragedy are in fact drawn and acted upon.