In a statement made today in Crotone, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi assured that the State will do everything it can to compensate the victims of the shipwreck that occurred in Steccato di Cutro on February 26th, which resulted in 94 deaths. Piantedosi emphasized that this is a formal fact, one of those procedural exceptions that are made in judicial contexts, but the State will not turn a blind eye to the situation and will do its part to help the victims.
In contrast to what came to light in the trial against three smugglers of the shipwrecked gulet, where the Guarantee fund for road victims, which also compensates victims of nautical accidents, appeared and opposed the summons to be sued as civilly liable. The Fund’s request for exclusion from the trial was based on the argument that the wrecked vessel had not been used for pleasure or public transport, and therefore should not be subject to the insurance code that also regulates the intervention of the guarantee fund for road victims. The court reserved its decision on the request for exclusion. The Fund is represented by lawyer Giulia Bongiorno, senator of Lega party.
Piantedosi’s statement serves as a commitment from Italy’s government to provide support and compensation to those affected by this tragic disaster.