URUGUAY: MASS FUNERAL IN MONTEVIDEO FOR VICTIMS OF FIRE ON BRITISH SHIP "ROYSTON GRANGE"

Record ID: 351796

  • Title: URUGUAY: MASS FUNERAL IN MONTEVIDEO FOR VICTIMS OF FIRE ON BRITISH SHIP "ROYSTON GRANGE"
  • Date: 21st May 1972
  • Summary: 1. GV PAN Crowd at graveside 0.05 2. SV Clergymen TILT DOWN TO Open grave & flowers 0.10 3. GV Mourners pass grave 0.13 4. SV Open grave with urns 0.18 5. SV Women weeping 0.21 6. SV Mourners 0.24 7. GV & SV Priests perform rites & crowd looking (2 shots) 0.35 8. GV Mourners 0.37 9. CU Wreath with "Loving Relatives" band 0.40 10. CU Priests perform rites 0.42 11. CU & SV Women with flowers, flowers into grave, woman crying (4 shots) 1.00 Initials SGM/0000 SGM/0129 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 5th June 1972 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Country: Uruguay
  • Reuters ID: LVA3SKE66NUSEJUHL9H3LV3GVEEI
  • Story Text: The remains of the 74 people who died when the British ship "Royston Grange", burnt after a collision in the River Plate on March 11, were buried in Montevideo yesterday (Saturday). The ceremony was attended by 130 relatives of the dead who arrived the previous night in an airliner chartered by Houlder Brothers, the owners of the British freighter. Six urns containing the human ashes and blackened bones of the victims - all that was found after the devastating fire which engulfed the 7,113-ton vessel after it collided with a Liberian-registered tanker - were buried in two communal graves in the British Cemetery, following an interdenominational religious service in the Anglican Temple. The dead included two West Germans, two Argentines, one Dutchman and 69 British subjects, and the services were conducted by an Anglican, a Roman Catholic, an Evangelical and a Missions to Seamen priest. Present at the ceremony were the Papal Nuncio, the British Charge d'Affaires, uruguayan Government and Church authorities.

    There were no survivors on the "Royston Grange" out of the crew of 63, ten passengers and an Argentine pilot, On the Aong Kon-based, Liberian-registered tanker "Tien Chee", eight crewmen died. Investigations are still under way into the causes of the collision which occurred in fag during the early hours of the morning in the narrow traffic channel of the River Plate between Argentina and Uruguay.

    SYNOPSIS: The funeral of the seventy-four people who died in the fire which burnt cut the British freighter "Royston Grange" on March eleventh, were buried in Montevideo, uruguay, on Sunday.

    The human ashes and bones of the victims had been placed in six urns - which were buried in two communal graves in the local British cemetery. No other remains were found after the devastating fire.

    Before the burial, four priests of different religions carried out an interdenominational service for victims - sixty-nine British, two West Germans, two Argentines and one Dutchman - the entire crew and passengers of the British freighter.

    As investigations continued to find the cause of the collision between the "Royston Grange" and the Hong Kong-based, Liberian-registered tanker "Tien Chee" in the River Plate - one hundred and thirty relatives of the dead had arrived in a charter flight arranged by the owners of the British ship, to attend the funeral in Montevideo.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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