- Title: ITALY: ITALIAN PREMIER ATTENDS THE FUNERAL OF OIL TECHNICIANS KILLED IN BIAFRA.
- Date: 9th June 1969
- Summary: RUMOR AND FOREIGN MINISTER NENNI ARRIVING; OILMEN LINING CHURCH ENTRANCE; MOURNERS; CARDINAL COLOMBO CONDUCTING THE CEREMONY; RELATIVES WEEPING OVER COFFIN. Initials PS/VS/JF/SG Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 24th June 1969 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: METANOPOLIS, ITALY
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVAAP87ARLF1WH13CP80FS63HF2V
- Story Text: ITALIAN PREMIER MARIANA RUMOR JOINED 10,000 MOURNERS IN THE INDUSTRIAL TOWN OF METANOPOLIS YESTERDAY (SUNDAY) AT THE FUNERAL OF TEN ITALIAN OIL TECHNICIANS KILLED BY BIAFRAN COMMANDOS A MONTH AGO.
SOBS FROM WEEPING RELATIVES BROKE THE QUIET OF THE CEREMONY IN A CHURCH SET AMONG THE SMOKING, FIERY CHIMNEYS OF THIS PETROLEUM AND GAS-REFINING TOWN -- THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE ITALIAN OIL CORPORATION E.N.I., THE MEN'S EMPLOYERS.
SEVERAL OF THEIR 18 SURVIVING COLLEAGUES, WHO FLEW INTO ROME ON SATURDAY (7 JUNE) AFTER BEING FREED BY BIAFRA AND ESCAPED A DEATH SENTENCE, WERE AMONG THE MOURNERS.
THE TEN TECHNICIANS WERE KILLED WHEN BIAFRAN COMMANDOS RAIDED THEIR CAMP IN KWALE. THE BODIES WERE RELEASED ON ORDERS FROM BIAFRAN LEADER GENERAL ODUMEGWU OJUKWU.
LOCAL OIL TECHNICIANS BORE THE COFFINS INTO THE CHURCH OF SAINT BARBARA, WHERE SIGNOR RUMOR, FOREIGN MINISTER PIETRO NENNI, THREE OTHER MINISTERS AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE E.N.I., SIGNOR EUGENIO CEFIS, WERE AWAITING TO PAY THEIR LAST RESPECTS.
RELATIVES DROPPED WEEPING TO THEIR KNEES AS THE COFFINS, EACH DRAPED IN THE RED, WHITE AND GREEN ITALIAN FLAG, WERE LAID ON EACH SIDE OF THE ALTAR.
THOUSANDS MILLED OUTSIDE THE PACKED CHURCH AS THE ARCHBISHOP OF MILAN, CARDINAL GIOVANNI COLOMBO, READ A BRIEF SERMON.
THE BODIES WERE ALTER TAKEN BY RELATIVES TO BE BURIED IN THEIR HOME TOWNS. FLAGS FLEW AT HALF-MAST THROUGHOUT ITALY TO OBSERVE A NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING CALLED BY PRESIDENT GUISEPPE SARAGAT.
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