His own position on what tragically unfolded a few meters from the port of Diakoftiou on Wednesday night, 05/10, gives, with a letter sent to the Kythira Media, the Deputy Mayor, Charalambos Sougianis.
In it, he recounts the dramatic moments that followed the shipwreck, with the operation set up to rescue the migrants on board the sailboat which was smashed by the raging waves on the rocks of the inaccessible area where it took place.
He does not fail to thank all those who rushed to help and those who turned to the care of the survivors while calling on the Municipal Authority for an open discussion with all groups, services and citizens, in order to benefit from the experience of the tragic event in the direction of even more effective response to similar crises in the future.
The following is the statement of Mr Sougianne:
- HOLIDAY 05-06/10/2022:
The night of last Wednesday to Thursday was undoubtedly one of the darkest and most difficult, but also one of the brightest for those of us who lived and watched the superhuman efforts to rescue people who were shipwrecked under very difficult weather conditions on the steep coast of Diakofti.
Black and awkward because we saw with our own eyes lives being lost in seconds, without any means and way to prevent it.
Φbright because we saw our fellow citizens who rushed from the first moment to the area to offer what everyone could, and officials (firefighters, coast guards, police officers) who justified their necessity with their efficiency, solidarity and health workers who took care of the care and relief of the suffering and exhausted shipwrecked people, local authorities who tried to secure immediate state assistance and organise the temporary accommodation of the rescued people.
Bright but mainly because we saw HEROES our fellow human beings who overstepped their human powers and, in the face of the tight time constraints that existed, even neglected their personal safety and managed in record time to retrieve and rescue eighty people from certain death.
They were the Volunteer Rescuers of the Kythera fire brigade who, accompanied by our volunteer compatriots and firefighters, gave sacrificially the great battle and won it.
It was our young people Dimitris Protopsaltis, Panagiotis Protopsaltis and George Stamatakos who had the idea, immediately organized the transfer to the area and installation of the crane of the company ″G.M.& I Protopsaltis O.E.″ and started the recovery with the known positive results.
They were the representatives of the media Ipolytus Precas and Panayiotis Politis who from the very first moment posted the news informing the people who rushed to the area to help and then were on the spot and sacrificially from the edge of the cliff taking shocking shots to publicize the operation to all corners of the earth.
Our Municipal Authority has the obligation and will do so: to record with sobriety all the testimonies from that night and to give the honours due to each of them individually, because they made all of us in Kythera and all Greeks proud..
Our Municipal Authority has the obligation and must do so immediately: organise an open discussion with all groups, services and individuals who can contribute in such cases.
The rescue operation in Diakofti gave new experiences and elements that we can use at low cost to add resources and materials to the existing ones, for a more effective response to similar situations in the future, if and when needed.
Civil Protection is not the business of one person, one group, one party, one municipal party. It is a matter for ALL of us and we all have an obligation to put aside differences and rivalries and make a positive contribution. In this effort NOBODY is left behind.
Finally, to restore reality and to avoid creating false impressions: all the women were placed in the sack with the help of men and pulled up with the crane, as it was impossible to hang by hand from the rope like the men. This was the case for the last two women. The last to be pulled out one by one were two men.
Charalambos Sougiannis - Deputy Mayor of Kythera
