- Title: ITALY: BODIES OF TEN ITALIAN OILMEN FLOWN TO MILAN FROM BIAFRA.
- Date: 7th June 1969
- Summary: COFFINS UNLOADED FROM AIRCRAFT; RELATIVES; PRIEST BLESSES COFFINS. Initials CP/V/PN/ES Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 22nd June 1969 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MILAN, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVADGQS7OUK1KRDYRE4PURPIAH6C
- Story Text: THE BODIES OF TEN ITALIAN OILMEN, KILLED IN A BIAFRAN RAID ON KWALE, IN MID-WESTERN NIGERIA A MONTH AGO, WERE FLOWN INTO MILAN AIRPORT LAST NIGHT. THE BODIES WERE RELEASED ON ORDERS FROM BIAFRAN LEADER GENERAL ODUMEGWU OJUKWU AND FLOWN OUT OF LAGOS ON A SPECIAL FLIGHT.
A DAY OF NATIONAL MOURNING HAS BEEN CALLED ON SUNDAY (JUNE 8) BY ITALIAN PRESIDENT GIUSEPPE SARAGAT, TO HONOUR THE DEAD MEN.
PRIME MINISTER MARIANO RUMOR AND FOREIGN MINISTER PIETRO NENNI, ARE EXPECTED TO TRAVEL TO MILAN FOR ONE OF THE FUNERAL CEREMONIES. A JORDANIAN WAS ALSO KILLED IN THE BIAFRAN RAID.
THE DEAD MEN WERE PART OF A GROUP OF 29 OIL EMPLOYEES WHO WERE WORKING NEAR KWALE WHEN THEIR CAMPS WERE RAIDED BY THE BIAFRAN COMMANDOS.
THE 18 OTHERS -- 14 ITALIANS, THREE WEST GERMANS AND ONE LEBANESE WERE ARRESTED AND SENTENCED TO DEATH BY THE BIAFRANS FOR ALLEGED AID TO NIGERIA'S WAR EFFORT.
GENERAL OJUKWU LATER REPRIEVED THE MEN AND HAS ALLOWED THEM TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY.
ALL WERE EMPLOYED BY THE ITALIAN OIL CORPORATION, E.N.J.
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