Flowers were thrown at sea to mark the 66th anniversary since 24 people drowned when a fishing boat capsized off Ħondoq ir-Rummien in a storm.

The ceremony took place yesterday morning on a Gozo Channel ferry when Gozo Minister Anton Refalo and relatives of the victims threw flowers into the sea after Mass was celebrated.

Only four passengers survived what remains the worst post-war tragedy in Gozo, which occurred on October 30, 1948.

The fishing boat had managed the crossing from Malta and, according to reports, the master had wanted to sail into Ħondoq Bay but some of the passengers insisted they still wanted to be taken to Mġarr. The vessel capsized in the final part of the trip, in the short distance between Ħondoq and Mġarr.

Those on board included two policemen, a woman and two crewmen.