page_title: 1948 Gozo luzzu disaster
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: 1948 Gozo luzzu disaster / Background
caption_attribution_description: FISHING BOATS
context_page_description: The 1948 Gozo luzzu disaster occurred on 30 October 1948 when a luzzu fishing boat carrying passengers from Marfa, Malta, to Mġarr, Gozo, capsized and sank in rough seas off Qala, killing 23 of the 27 people on board. Inquiries held after the accident determined that the boat had been overloaded as it was carrying around double its capacity.
context_section_description: On 30 October 1948, the Gozo ferry MV Bancinu left the harbour of Mġarr, Gozo at 13:15, and due to strong winds from the southwest, it landed its passengers at St. Paul's Bay instead of at the usual berthing place at Marfa. This journey lasted longer than the usual route, and disembarkation at St. Paul's Bay was also slower, so the next scheduled crossing from Marfa of 16:30 was cancelled. However, some passengers who had intended to board this ferry had already departed by bus from Valletta. The manager of the ferry service, Mariano Xuereb, promised the stranded passengers that a luzzu (a traditional fishing boat) would be provided to take the passengers from Marfa to Gozo, but he then changed his mind and did not send the boat.
  A policeman who was among the stranded passengers phoned his superiors in Gozo, who then informed Sergeant S. Galea, a policeman on duty at Mġarr, to make arrangements to pick up the passengers. Another luzzu crewed by Salvu Refalo and Karmnu Grima was sent, and all 25 stranded passengers (24 men and 1 woman) boarded the boat. The number of people on the boat was higher than expected, and despite Refalo and Grima's proposal to make two trips, the passengers insisted on making a single crossing.
caption: Luzzu fishing boats in Gozo's Mġarr harbour in 2009
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