Responsibility to the Coast Guard for the handling of the tragedy that unfolded in Mati was attributed in her testimony by a witness who was rescued from the deadly fire on July 23, 2018, which killed 104 people.
The proceedings continued on Friday with shocking statements from survivors and people who lost loved ones that fateful afternoon. All the witnesses described the complete absence of the fire department and police during critical times. “No one warned us” was the phrase most often heard in court, sometimes spoken with anger and sometimes with grief.
From the testimony of one of the witnesses, it emerged that the Coast Guard, through the local port manager, had known since around 7 pm that there were people in the sea but nevertheless did not take action to rescue them.
