Pula commemorates 80th anniversary of Vergarola tragedy

The city of Pula held commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Vergarola tragedy, one of the most significant disasters in the city's history. On August 18, 1946, an explosion of underwater mines claimed the lives of more than 60 bathers, most of whom were women and children.

The memorial events included the laying of wreaths at Vergarola beach and a Holy Mass held in the Pula Cathedral, conducted in Italian. A new monument was blessed, which features the engraved names of the 64 victims to ensure they are no longer remembered anonymously.

Pula Mayor Peđa Grbin addressed the gathering, noting that the tragedy had previously been met with a “culture of forgetting” by society, which he argued should not have happened. The commemoration also featured a documentary exhibition honoring the heroism of surgeon Dr. Geppino Micheletti during the incident.