Mourning in Tortolì for the death of Andrea Massimo Loi , the sailor originally from the Ogliastra town among the five victims of the shipwreck that took place two days ago 50 miles off the coast of Bari .
"I learned the tragic news this morning and we are trying to track down Andrea's family to show our closeness and that of our community - said Mayor Massimo Cannas to Ansa - Andrea is part of a family he met in Arbatax and Tortolì, where he learned the seafaring tradition that he had put to good use with his working activity when he left for the continent about 30 years ago. We remember him as a seaman and as an athlete, esteemed and well-liked by all. community".
The 58-year -old had moved to the Peninsula for years , first to Ancona and then to Bari, where he leaves a partner. In Tortolì live the old friends and three brothers, who left yesterday for Puglia.
THE TRAGEDY - Loi and five other crew members had left Ancona to tow a pontoon boat to Durres . Halfway through, the tug started taking on water and sank within minutes. Waves up to two and a half meters high left no escape for the five sailors.
Only the commander survived , recovered during the night at sea by a Croatian merchant ship hijacked by the Bari Port Authority: he is a 63-year-old Sicilian, transferred to Bari and hospitalized in a state of shock.
RESEARCH - For the moment only three bodies have been found : the recognition is in progress. On the other hand, the searches for the two missing sailors and considered dead have continued all night and are still in progress for almost 36 hours.
