On the 8th January 1979 a major fire broke out on board an oil tanker in Bantry Bay. The fire and subsequent explosions cost 50 people their lives.
“Living with the Whiddy Disaster” is a book by Brian McGee, who is the last survivor of that fateful night. His book catalogues the disaster itself and the effect that post-traumatic stress played in his life since. His account of events is compelling and disturbing in equal measures.
With today’s Emergency Planning and Fire Safety Regulations an incident like that should not occur…..or could it?