29-10-1967 06:00
police officer
Just before midnight on 28th October 1967, the Italian Coast Guard cutter responded to a Pan-Pan signal (non-life-threatening medical incident) from a private yacht "Ariadne" travelling around Ustica Island, north of Sicily. Thirteen unconscious people were found aboard the ship and one dead. The captain, who sent the signal, was able to stop the engines and give the estimated location of the yacht, before passing out on the bridge. All passengers were transported to the hospital in Palermo while the local police started the investigation into what happened aboard "Ariadne".
The lead investigator ordered the passengers to be placed in separate rooms, so they could not communicate with each other until they will be questioned by the officers. The dead body was taken to the coroner’s office, so the cause of death could be determined. Also, police and Italian Navy technicians were assembled to check the yacht that was towed back to Palermo.
