Cutro Massacre, the Finance-Coast Guard chats: “They are migrants”, “we are not leaving”. Six towards the trial

Cutro massacre, the truth emerges from the chats: a tragedy that could have been avoided. The documents of the investigation

New details emerge on the Cutro massacrethe shipwreck off the coast of Calabria which occurred on February 26, 2023 and cost the life of 94 people. The investigation documents include the chat who exchanged that tragic night Coast Guard and the Finance. Those who were supposed to control that boat (the Guardia di Finanza) – reports La Repubblica – returned to port and those who were supposed to go out to secure those sailing in that stormy sea remained at the moorings: “We we are not going out why we did not receive no kind of request“. These are some of the chats – according to what La Repubblica has learned – that ended up in the investigation documents. “They are migrants… a quiet month“. “Actually, no one was seen, but it’s a typical boat.” “And then under the FLIR (thermal detection system, editor’s note) everything is black.”

From the transcription of the communications recorded that night and from the testimonies of the protagonists, a buck-passing between the two bodies. Heavy – continues La Repubblica – the words of Admiral Gianluca D’Agostino, head of the operations room of the Port Authorities: “I believe that our only mistake was to trust the Guardia di Finanza who gave us false information“. No less severe is the assessment of the regional commander of the Port Authority of Reggio Calabria Giuseppe Sciarron: “I don’t understand why they called us that night and refused our contribution. The Guardia di Finanza should have called us immediately, they had the obligation to intervene once they discovered the target. Our boats were able to sail in those weather conditions.“.

The intervention came too late94 migrants died. Now we will try to trace the responsibilities, 650 pages of the investigation documents and the request for adjournment of trial for four Finance officers and two Coast Guard officers, the charges are: culpable shipwreck and multiple culpable homicide.